"Robert Peffers" <peffers50@btinternet.com> wrote in message
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"Deirdre Sholto Douglas" <finch.enteract@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:47406ECA.71F2A38F@sbcglobal.net...
Peter Jason wrote:
"Deirdre Sholto Douglas"
finch.enteract@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
message
news:473F9FF4.E039BA98@sbcglobal.net...
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).
Thank you, I will add this to my formula book.
I always add red wine to sauces because it improves the colour and thins
it down if necessary.