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My daughter and son-in-law left before dinner on July 4th, but had they stayed, I brought out an old recipe that I haven't done in awhile.

​While glancing through the weekly food flyers, I noticed that Foodtown of Wall had London Broil on sale. I switched from cooking London Broil to flank steak, but even the price of flank steak has risen. Therefore, I thought I would try cooking a London Broil again. The recipe I dug up was from Gourmet, May 1996 for Grilled Marinated London Broil. This particular recipe was part of a menu that included Grilled Red Onions with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary and Yellow Pepper Orzo Gratin.
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I apologize for the delay, but here is the recipe for the pasta salad. I purchase Barilla tricolored fusilli, which comes in 12 oz.  boxes. For this weekend, I've made a double batch. Also, I roast my own peppers. Now you can either roast the peppers over the gas flame of your stove or under the broiler, but I prefer to roast them outside on my gas grill.
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I recently received a comment from reader that they made the tomato sauce and added the 1 tablespoon of salt that the recipe calls for. After tasting the sauce, they found it too salty. My reader went on to say that they added a can of tomato sauce to dilute the saltiness. Placing a piece of raw potato in something such as soup, and perhaps tomato sauce, will absorb the salt. 

Please note, that the recipe I posted was as it was written in "Naples at Table." In the future, I will make note of any adjustment I've made to a recipe which I think you may find helpful. When I make fresh tomato sauce, I use 1 teaspoon of salt; then adjust accordingly. 


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I am working today through Sunday and with daughter and husband coming for the weekend, I need to do a little of prepping.

First on the list was more cookies. Of all the cookies I've baked, peanut butter cookies are not my favorite. However, my husband and son-in-law can devour them. Using a recipe from the King Arthur Flour website, I made a batch of Classic Peanut Butter Cookies. I also made Toll House Chocolate Chip batter, which I will bake off tomorrow. ​
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First an update to yesterday's supper of tuna. I went to Wegmans this morning and while there, I checked their price for tuna. They also charge $25.99/lb. for tuna. My sister-in-law, who lives on the Outer Banks, was kind enough to inform that she can purchase fresh tuna for $9.99/lb. 

Back to this evening's meal. I opened the Whole Foods app this morning to check on their new weekly specials (they run Wednesday to Tuesday). The new promotion included wild caught salmon for $8.99/lb. (As a side note, Wegmans  had farm raised salmon for $10.99/lb.) ​With a protein selected, I just needed to find a quick recipe. I went to Lidia Bastianich's website, Lidia's Italy,  to search for an easy recipe. 
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I was at a loss as to what to cook this evening. I brought out my cookbook "Lidia's Italy," and went to one of the yellow tabs that my husband attached to a recipe he found interesting. One of the recipes he like was Grilled Tuna with Oregano. I stopped at Whole Foods on the way home from work and picked up tuna there. It was $25.99/lb. Just to be curious, I also decided to stop at Mr. Shrimp in Belmar to see what he charges for tuna. Mr. Shrimp's price was $18.99/lb. I should have went there  first, oh well. I should also check out the tuna prices at Wegmans the next time I'm there. 
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My husband didn't get his weekly allotment of pasta last week. As I was off today, I swung by Matt's Farm and Garden Center in  Wall Township, and picked up three pounds of plum tomatoes. My basil is looking good in the garden and garlic is a pantry staple so I was ready to cook away!
While I was preparing the sauce, I got the pot of water on the for pasta. I had taken the meatballs out of the freezer and plopped them in into the pot of tomatoes as they were cooking down. Before I knew it, the tomatoes cooked enough to be run through the food mill and the water was boiling for the pasta. I lowered heat on the water to a simmer until the tomato sauce was strained. Once I had run the tomatoes through the food mill, the sauce had to cook for 15 more minutes or so. This gave me enough time to get the pasta done. 
All in all, in about 45 minutes or so, we had pasta with fresh tomato sauce. Yum!
​Sugo Di Pomodoro
Smooth Tomato Sauce – From Fresh Tomatoes
By Arthur Schwartz
“Naples at Table” © 1998 Harper Collins
  
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
Or 2 large cloves garlic**, lightly smashed
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled or not, and cut into large chunks
½ cup (packed) whole basil leaves
1 Tbsp**. salt, or to taste (see note below)
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

  1. If making sauce with onion, place the onion and the oil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the onion is tender and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. If using garlic, combine the garlic and oil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over low heat and cook the garlic, pressing it into the oil a couple of times to release its flavor, until it barely begins to color on both sides. Remove the garlic.  
  2. Stir in the tomato chunks, increase the heat slightly and, stirring occasionally, cook until the tomatoes have collapsed into a mush, about 20 minutes.
  3. Puree the sauce in a food mill, then return it to the pot. Tear the basil leaves into the sauce and add the salt and hot red pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium and, stirring occasionally, simmer for another 5 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. The timing will depend on the moisture content of the tomatoes.  
To store: the sauce can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 10 months, at least until the next tomato harvest.
 
**Donna’s Notes: I make my sauce with garlic. Although the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of salt,  I use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and adjust accordingly. To puree, use a food mill, not a blender or VitaMix, as it will change the taste and consistency of the sauce. Food mills can be found at WalMart or at Williams-Sonoma. You can also try using a stainless-steel colander or large strainer placed over a large bowl or pot and press on the solids to separate out the liquids. 
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It seems that I can cook faster than I can post to my blog. I'm trying to catch up a bit here and hopefully still have a happy husband who's sitting alone right now. I better type and edit fast (and accurately!) 

Sunday, I worked until closing so I had to think of something I could prepare ahead of time. On a recent visit to Wegmans, I purchased their family pack of ground turkey (3 lbs. @ $2.99/lb.), which is a great value. I dug out of my recipe box and found another recipe from Better Homes and Garden, but this time from their Test Kitchen Prize Tested Recipes section. The recipe was submitted by Millie Breaux, of Galliano, Louisiana for Cajun Turkey Burgers. These are flavorful burgers and a nice change from beef burgers. The burgers are wrapped in bacon, which add great flavor and makes the turkey stay moist. I served these with some leftover ciambotta and macaroni salad. I purchased some corn earlier in the day at Wegmans (3 for $1), however, it's a bit early yet for summertime corn.

We rounded out the meal with the remaining crepe cake and called it a night.  
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My daughter is on her way down for the weekend, so I decided to make pizza tonight. I prepped the pizza dough this morning before I left for work. I also sauteed some onions until they were caramelized. Yesterday when I stopped at Whole Foods, I picked up a 4 oz. log of goat cheese and today I picked up a bunch of local grown arugula. You might wonder where this is going.


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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