"Deirdre Sholto Douglas"
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Peter Jason wrote:
"Deirdre Sholto Douglas"
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I have to wonder about your menu
however...spaghetti sounds
easy, but what of the sauce? In my
kitchen
the pasta takes
very little time and effort to cook,
but
the sauce can take
hours of simmering (pesto is easier,
but
still requires either
harvesting or purchasing fresh
basil)...as
a result, it's a meal
that's only seen here on the weekends
when
I have the time to
make it. Are you simply opening a jar?
(And have you ever
noticed how much salt and sugar are
_added_
to those jars?)
I live close to town in a very populated
area
and anything is freely available (except
quality French-style bread) even at a
smaller
supermarket.
sigh> That's not available _anywhere_ on
this side of
the Great Undrinkable...which is not to
say there aren't
some good locally baked breads, they're
just not the
same.
Spaghetti sauce I make days before by the
following method: Buy a kilo of 'diet'
mincemeat (reduced fat) and into this
incorporate some chopped onion and garlic
and
rosemary. Roll into small balls and fry
these with oil in a deep casserole pot to
a
very deep brown colour. Reduce heat and
throw in 2 large cans of spaghetti sauce
and
two jars of tomato paste and simmer for a
short while, adding a cup or two of fine
cabernet.
Hm...so you _are_ using canned (sauce and
paste) in-
gredients. Well, yes, that _would_ make
things easier
but it doesn't fly in my world because His
Lordship's
heart condition means that all fats, salts
and sugars
need to be carefully monitored which means
no pro-
cessed foods.
My ingredients are simpler:
Diced organic tomatoes
Several cloves crushed garlic
Oregano
Marjoram
Basil
Crushed red peppers
Celery seed
White pepper
Red wine
Vegetables as desired
Simmer tomatoes for 90 minutes or so, add
everything
else except wine, simmer 30 more minutes.
Put every-
thing through Foley food mill. Return to
pan. Add wine
and veggies and simmer indefinitely.
The tomatoes and herbs come from the
garden in summer
and from the organic market or windowill
in winter/spring.
I don't measure anything, so I've no idea
what the quantities
are..."until it looks/smells right" tends
to be how I operate.
Turn off the heat and leave on
the stove to cool
_That_ is _not_ a safe way of doing it and
were it not
for the preservatives in your canned
goods, you'd be
taking a risk with your guest's' health.
Divide it into
smaller containers if you must, but don't
let it sit out
to cool...you're inviting bacteria in
(you've fructose
and sucrose in the mix and both can act as
bacterial
electron donors).
Contrast this with the meals I get when I
go
to *their* places, invariably an English
style roast with vegetables, all quite
wonderful except that some items are hot
and
others cold, and something always goes
wrong
in the kitchen that interrupts
everything.
That's simple ineptitude and easily
corrected with prac-
tice...people today aren't _used_ to
giving dinners and
most didn't grow up watching their parents
do so, so
they're feeling their way forward.
Judging by the amount of booze the guests
put
away, any excess salt & sugar would by
flushed away by 9pm.
If your friends are more interested in
drinking than
food, then why are you surprised their
dinners are
unorganised?
Deirdre.
You could always try this Bolognese Sauce.
50g/2oz, onions.
1 clove garlic.
25g/1oz, celery, (one stalk).
50g/2oz, carrot,(1 small).
175g/6oz lean pork.
225g/8oz, lean beef.
50g/2oz, chicken livers, (thawed if
frozen).
50ml/2floz oil.
335ml/12floz beef stock.
335ml/12floz Marsalas wine, (optional).
50g/2oz, tomato paste
Salt and ground black pepper.
pinch each of mace,clove,basil and oregano.
25g/1oz cornflour
175ml/6floz single cream.
Chop the onion garlic, celery and carrot
fairly finely in a food processor and turn
out into a bowl.
Mince the pork and beef in the food
processor and add the chicken livers.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently sauté
the chopped vegetables for 5 minutes,
stirring and tossing them till lightly
browned. Add the meats and liver and stir
round once. Cover and cook gently for 7 - 8
minutes, (occasional stir).
Stir in the stock, wine and tomato paste
and all seasonings.
Bring through the boil and lower the heat.
Simmer, (covered), for 25 minutes.
Blend the cornflower with a little of the
cream then add the rest of the cream.
Stir this into the sauce and lower the heat
and cook, under the boil, for 4 - 5
minutes.
You can substitute/reduce any ingredient
for lower fat, salt, etc., to suit.
I don't use cream or wine myself but
substitute such as yogurt and fruit juice
instead.
Adding booze to any cooking is a waste of
booze as the alcohol evaporates anyway so
it is just a flavouring.
Having posted all that I couldn't be
bothered cooking for myself tonight and
just had a large baked potato with a
filling of cheese and a pinch of mixed
herbs.
--
Auld Bob Peffers,
Kelty,
Fife,
Scotland, (UK).