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Tomato Meat Sauce with Pasta

2/27/2017

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Usually I test my recipes several times before I post them. This recipe was such a big hit during Oscar night that I am going to post the first iteration. There are many versions of this sauce that are delicious but for once I am going to stop adjusting and just post as it is. The  sauce has a strong tomato taste seasoned with Italian herbs. If you like these flavors this sauce is for you
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My husband and I have a new friend we adore. Her name is Tara and her home is in Berlin with her mother. This school year she is living with her American father and his family here in Santa Cruz. What is amazing about her is that she is truly bi-cultural. She loves German comfort food like dumplings, red cabbage with duck, and  beef- or cabbage rolls. This is similar to food that her German grandmother prepares for her. I enjoy being her substitute grandmother and cooking her favorite meals. Early in the year she was a little homesick but now she enjoys life in Santa Cruz. After making meatloaf, stuffed cabbage, and several other German dishes it was time to change the menu, hence the tomato sauce.

​Every Sunday I walk to our little farmer’s market around the corner and get whatever looks good. I haven't made a lot of pasta lately but when I went to the market this week I decided to splurge and make pasta with tomato sauce. I bought ground pork from a young farmer who raises pigs on a nearby  farm. The meat was outstanding and I will get it again. I decided to get fresh pasta shells for my sauce and some crusty bread.  Instead of a salad we had artichokes from the market. The sauce was easy to make while watching all the beautiful people on the red carpet. Tara had never seen the Oscars before  and also enjoyed watching them while finishing her homework assignment.
This sauce could easily be vegetarian if your prepare  it without the meat. Substitute regular spaghetti or any other pasta you like. All the vegetables should be finely diced
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings if you add more pasta

​½ lb ground pork sausage 
1 14 ½ ounce (411g) can stewed and sliced tomatoes
2  14 ½  ounce (425g) cans tomato sauce
5 ounce  (140g) canned tomato paste 
2 garlic clove, minced
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped 
1 large carrot, finally chopped
3 small or ½ sweet red or orange pepper, finely chopped
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Italian seasoning
¼ tsp brown sugar 
½ tsp or more salt
½ or more freshly ground pepper
3 fresh Basil leaves, chopped
2 dried bay leaves
a pinch of chilly flakes
½ cup or more of pasta water
​

1 lb pasta 
freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions

Heat the olive oil and once the oil is hot break up small chunks of the pork and add them to the pan without stirring. Wait a couple of minutes for the meat to brown and turn it around.

Add all the vegetables and sauté for several minutes. Add the tomatoes with juice and tomato sauce . Add the tomato paste and mix together. Stir in herbs, sugar and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. 


Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in salted water and drain into a colander saving some of the pasta water for the sauce. 
​

Thin out the sauce with some of the pasta water, remove the bay leaves . Serve the sauce on top of the pasta sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. 


Guten Appetit
loosely adapted from a food.com recipe
by © sunnycovechef.com
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About Life and Losss

2/23/2017

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As you probably all know, California has had a lot of rain over the last two months. But today the sun is shining and our neighbor’s fruitless plum tree is in full bloom. The beach is littered with everything that has washed ashore. It is time to collect some driftwood.
It rained and rained and rained some more. The trees fell to the ground and the wind was furious. I was lucky because I had electricity, so I cooked and cooked and cooked. I cooked a whole duck. I made a winter “farro" salad and tried a new recipe for hummus. I am working on these recipes, and will post them later. Cooking distracted me from the scarier and darker moments of the tempestuous weather. I was fortunate to be able to stay in my home and not having to evacuate like so many others.
Life is all about change and loss. What prompted me to write this was a sentence I read this morning from my blogging friend, Jo, at https://coastalcrone.com about being brave enough to change. At this stage in life, I have to contemplate changes I do not look forward to but have to face. And will have to deal with sooner or later. I usually push most of them aside. I prefer the joyful, well-lived life. Don’t we all.

But during those dark hours of rain and storm, I grieved for the loss of my oldest friends from Germany. She died last summer in a horrible car accident. She would be there forever, or so I thought. Gabriele has always been very special to me. She was like a sister. We met in boarding school when she was fourteen and I was fifteen. She fled East Germany with her parents and siblings and later worked her way to becoming a principal and advocate for special needs children. 

​During one of my visits, we went to a Turkish home and she told the reluctant father that his severely handicapped daughter had to attend school in Germany—by law. I was sure we would get in trouble. Another time, she saved my life when we hitchhiked as young girls in Germany. I remember  so many stories full of laughter and tears, as well disagreements and hurt feelings. Why am I posting this? I am not so sure. I have mixed feelings. 

What I want to say is: Be kind and gentle with the world and especially your friends. When we said goodbye last May in Germany, she hugged me and cried. Little did I know it was the last time I would ever see her.
“Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.
                    --Charles Schultz

In honor of my friend, Gabriele, I would like give you the link to one of her favorite recipes: seafood pasta.
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Susanne's Rouladen

2/8/2017

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Rouladen or Rinderrouladen is a quintessential German meat dish made with bacon, onions and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef. The gravy is an absolute requirement to round out this dish.  It is usually served with boiled potatoes, potato dumplings, or Spätzle (depending on the region). I like red cabbage with my Rouladen, but you can serve it with any vegetable you like. The dish was once considered a recipe for common folk, but today it is enjoyed by many people as a festive dish or a special Sunday meal. Imagine braised meat flavored with mustard, pickles, prosciutto, enhanced by a rich gravy. If you like that, than Rouladen is the dish for you.
My love affair with Rouladen began here in the United States when Susanne, my friend and neighbor and an excellent cook, started making it for me. This dish is the best cure when I get homesick for Germany. It’s like soul food imbedded into my DNA. It’s not fancy or delicate, but homey and nourishing. I can’t wait to sit at Susanne’s inviting table and start eating. 
There are many recipes for Rinderroulden (beef roll-ups), but I enjoy Susanne’s the best. She uses thinly sliced prosciutto that she buys at Trader Joe’s (instead of bacon) as well as cornichons (gherkin pickles). The butcher slices a piece of London broil into 1/8 inch thin slices. I find that this dish develops more flavor when made a day ahead.
My recipe for red cabbage ( here is the link for the recipe) goes well with Rouladen. Susanne serves boiled potatoes that she flavors with melted butter and parsley. Thank you Susanne, for being my friend and taking care of me for so many years.
For dessert I recommend something light and lemony like my lemon mouse, lemon pudding cake, or my lemon and buttermilk sorbet. Click on the photo for the recipe.
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Have the butcher cut a rectangular piece of London broil into 1/8-inch slices. When I made the recipe, I got seven pieces. Suzanne got six pieces. It also important to dice the cornichons and onions into very small cubes.
Print Recipe
Ingredients:

makes 6-7 Rouladen 

about 2 Ib. London broil beef
½ - 3/4 cup finely chopped onions
20-24 cornichons 
6-7 TBS Dijon mustard

6-7 paper-thin slices of prosciutto
smoked paprika
salt and pepper 
2  or more TBS oil
3 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
2 cups dry red wine 
2 or more cups chicken broth
1 TBS sour cream or crème fraîche
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˙degrees Fahrenheit. Put the oven rack on the bottom.
Cut off the stems of the cornichons and dice into small cubes. 
Season the beef slices with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with a pinch of smoked paprika. Thinly spread about
​ 1 TBS mustard on top of each slice. 

Add a piece of prosciutto on top of the mustard. Sprinkle each slice with 1TBS finely chopped onions and 1TBS cornichons. 
Starting at the larger end, roll up the slices and secure with a toothpick. Susanne has special skewers she brought from Germany. You can also use thread to secure the Rouladen.
Heat 1 TBS butter and the oil in a large dutch oven with a lid. The fat should be sizzling (but not smoking) when you put the Rouladen in. Do not crowd the Rouladen, browning three or four at a time. Remove and repeat with the rest of the Rouladen. Make sure the Rouladen are browned nicely on all sides. 
When all the Rouladen are browned, remove them from the pot. Add the wine and deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken broth to the red wine and bring it to a boil. Add the Rouladen and make sure that they are mostly covered with the liquid. Add the lid and put the pot in a preheated oven on the bottom shelf. Braise for 1 hour and 25 minutes. 
This can be done a day ahead of time. Reheat the Rouladen before making the gravy.
After you finished cooking them in the oven, remove the Rouladen onto a plate and sieve the juices into a bowl. To make the gravy, melt 2 TBS butter, add 2 TBS flour and sauté until slightly browned. Slowly add the sieved juice and with a whisk, stir the gravy to a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Rouladen and the rest of the juices to the gravy. Before serving, add 1 TBS sour cream. Some people remove the toothpicks or skewers, but I didn't. Serve the extra gravy in a gravy boat.
​

Guten Appetit!
recipe by Susanne Rather ©Sunnycovechef
​
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    WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEF

    Thank you for visiting my blog.  My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time.

    ​
    If you  have tried any of my recipes, snap a photo and tag me @sunnycovechef I'd love to see your creations!​


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