Repertoire – 180360

Repertoire

Simple Marinara

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The more time I spend in my kitchen, the more I appreciate the notion that some of the best recipes are the simplest. With only 5 ingredients and a short cooking time, this sauce has become my go-to on school nights or when I’m crunched for time. I’ve made this recipe so much over the past decade, I couldn’t possibly count! Plus, it is the one my children know and love — a comfort food they will forever remember.

Originally discovered in Heidi Swanson’s, Super Natural Cooking, I’ve only marginally adapted her version to suit our tastes; namely adding more garlic and cooking it slightly longer (I think it develops a better flavor that way.) But by all means, it can be ready in 20 minutes! The recipe can also easily be doubled and frozen. I usually serve ours over penne or rigatoni, but it could also become the base of a pizza, layered into a lasagne, or used as a dipping sauce.

Simple Marinara

180360 (adapted from Super Natural Cooking)
A quick, 5 ingredient tomato sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (or more for spicier sauce)
  • 1/2 head garlic, finely minced (or less if sensitive to garlic)
  • 28oz can organic, crushed tomatoes (do not use diced, pureed or whole)

Instructions
 

  • Prep all ingredients, including finely mincing the garlic cloves. In a saucepan on medium-low heat, add olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook gently for about 5 minutes or until garlic has softened. Do not allow garlic or pepper to burn! Add the can of tomatoes and stir well. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. (If I have time, I cook mine for at least 30 minutes or more to develop the flavor.) Serve with pasta, use as a pizza or dipping sauce, or freeze for later use.
Keyword Sauces

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Food from our childhood evokes such strong emotion, doesn’t it? My mother’s Chicken Enchiladas were one of the staples of my youth — but honestly, they weren’t my favorite. Fast forward twenty years to the point where I started cooking for myself. This was one of the first recipes I tried making on my own. I considered what I didn’t like about them and knew with a little tweaking they could be so much better! Over time, I worked out what I think make these pretty much perfect. Unfortunately, at the time, I eyeballed everything and had to share the recipe verbally with a lot of suggestions. I’ve finally taken the time to figure out the basic measurements. However, I do have a few tips and suggestions to follow.

First, there are some recipes that are worth making in large quantity and this is one of them. I always make at least 2 meals worth (sometimes it turns out to be 3) and I freeze what we won’t be eating right away. There is nothing better than having some fool-proof meals ready to pop in the oven at a moments notice. The amount this recipe makes varies on a few things — size of tortillas, how many pans are used and how full the enchiladas are filled. The good news is, the recipe is quite forgiving and flexible. Second, I’ve tried many different varieties of chicken, but this is the one I keep coming back to. Yes, you could use a rotisserie chicken, but I found the meat to be drier and stringier than the large diced breast meat. You could also swap the breasts for thighs, but they weren’t quite meaty enough for me. I’ve seen my mom use canned and pre-cooked, packaged chicken (ACK!) but that completely makes my head spin. Whatever you do, don’t do that! Poaching the chicken in salsa is simple and gives a nice, subtle flavor.

Lastly, I realize these are not exactly traditional. Enchiladas are supposed to be made with corn tortillas but I prefer to use flour for these. I’d call this “American-Mexican” comfort food at it’s finest. All I know is, they are the number one thing my children and husband request I make.

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Long before the Gjelina cookbook was written, I read an article in Food & Wine magazine where Chef Travis Lett shared a few recipes from the restaurant. I immediately ripped the pages out and tried to recreate some of the dishes I’d remembered eating there. One of my favorites was the “Grilled Apricot, Burrata and Country Ham Salad.”

After making it a few times over the past several years, I thought it would be fun to turn it into an appetizer instead. In the recipe, Lett says to freely swap out seasonal fruits, so I used peaches since they are lovely this time of year. The original recipe also involves grilling the fruit, which is fantastic but obviously more work. If the grill is hot, by all means grill away — but honestly, they’re perfectly delicious when served fresh and ripe. Besides, isn’t summer all about keeping it simple?


180360_GjelinaInspiredSummerCrostini5180360_GjelinaInspiredSummerCrostini

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Winter Granola
Winter Granola

I’m one of those people that can eat the same breakfast, day in and day out and never tire of it. In a perfect world, that would consist of a double espresso and a pastry. Alas, that doesn’t work for me. After about an hour I’d be shaking and foggy from lack of protein. 

Over the years, I’ve come to realize the best breakfast for me is granola. I eat it almost every day without fail, making large batches several times a month. You’d think I’d be sick of it by now, but I’m not. In fact, I crave it constantly. It’s also one of those recipes that keeps evolving and getting better with each experimentation. 

I call this my Winter Granola. It’s full of nuts and seeds, crunch and heartiness with just the slightest hint of sweetness. If that bothers you, you could certainly add some coconut sugar, but I don’t think it needs it. I know there are a bazillion different granola recipes out there, but this one is definitely a keeper. It’s paleo, vegan, vegetarian, easy to make and most importantly, energy sustaining.

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Repertoire: Persimmon Salad

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180360_PersimmonSalad I discovered this beautiful and unusual salad several years ago at my friend Jora’s house. Although I’d heard of persimmons, I couldn’t tell you what they looked like or how they tasted! Thankfully, that changed as soon as I ate this salad. It was love at first bite and now I look forward to seeing them in the store every fall. Funny how that happens!

For those like me who aren’t as familiar with persimmons, they have been grown in Asia for centuries but are also found throughout America, including a native variety specific to the Eastern US. However, there are two main Asian varieties sold in markets, the Fuyu and the Hachiya.

The Fuyu is squat and flat, shaped more like a tomato and should be eaten when it’s just barely soft. The Hachiya is longer and more oval shaped. It can be extremely tart if eaten before it’s ripe.

Here we use the Fuyu Persimmon, which happens to be my favorite. When purchasing, look for orange and firm-fleshed fruit. 

This recipe incorporates all of my favorite qualities and balance in a salad; sweetness from the persimmon, tartness from the pomegranate and lime, heat from the chile, smokiness from the cumin, crunch from the walnuts, softness from the fruit. It’s a fine introduction and also makes a fantastic Thanksgiving side dish, if I do say so myself. I’ve made it these past two years and I just love the color and flavor it brings to the table.

Have you had a persimmon before? Do you like them as much as I do? If so, I hope you’ll share a new persimmon recipe with me!


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Introducing: Repertoire

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180360_Repertoire_CoverI’m not sure what’s in the air, but boy have I been in the mood to tackle projects that have been looming over me for years! There has been a bunch of purging going on around here and this lightening of the load has inspired action in all sorts of other areas.

One thing I’ve always wanted to do is compile a cookbook with all of my favorite recipes. But between homeschooling, travel and then a baby, anything non-essential was put on the back burner over and over again.

Well the time has come! I can’t handle my recipe filing system any longer. It is a complete disaster of folders upon folders of magazine tears, hand written notes, and food spattered print-outs. (Please tell me I’m not the only one with this problem!)  I can’t help but think it would be so nice to have all of these recipes in one, tidy place.

I realize this project is primarily for me (and perhaps a future gift for family members), but I thought I’d post all of the recipes and images here to keep me accountable. Some of these I know by heart, yet I’d like to take the time to write down exact measurements so I can share them with others. But the majority are recipes I’ve collected over the years from blogs, through friends, family members, cookbooks, or magazines. I am so tired of constantly trying to search for them in my messy cabinet or look them up online for the 50th time!

Not only will this book help me pare down the mess that is currently taking over my kitchen cabinets, but it will also force me to work on my food photography skills. Win win! And who knows? Maybe one of these recipes will become a favorite for someone else… 

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