This recipe is one that I make from memory, so it's a little weird to put numbers to it. Growing up my father didn't do much cooking. He'd heat up a can of soup, and the occasional eggs and toast were about the extent of his culinary explorations. Spaghetti, on the other hand, he was religious about. The sauce was made from scratch, the pasta al dente. I fondly remember learning to make pasta by his hand, carrying a floppy noodle to him in the family room, nodding to his precise declaration of how much time was needed for the pasta to be finished, and hurrying back in to the kitchen to make sure the sauce didn't stick. Though he was my adoptive father, I always felt like I acquired his Italian genes somehow. I hear his mother in my voice sometimes. “Sit, eat, you're too skinny...”

Ingredients:
6 lbs fresh ripe roma tomatoes (organic if you can)
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, ½ coarsely chopped, ½ very finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
½ t rubbed sage
½ t dried thyme
1 T brown sugar
1 t salt
2 T lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Wash tomatoes and place in large pot with 1 inch water. Steam the tomatoes to loosen the peel (about 5-10 minutes). Peel the tomatoes and remove the woody parts and seeds, place in colander to drain. In heavy bottom pot heat olive oil on medium and sauté onions until they start to change color then add garlic and sauté 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and green spices. Simmer mostly covered (I leave the spoon in the pot and the lid cracked) on low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally (every 3-5 minutes). You can read a book in the kitchen, or prepare other food in the meantime. The key is to slow cook the sauce until the tomatoes completely disintegrate giving you a smooth, thick texture. Try not to drip the condensation that forms on the lid back into the sauce. Once sauce is the right consistency, add the brown sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Add pepper and more salt to taste. This can be made in the crock pot.

Makes approximately 8 cups, freezes well

Basil Pesto

This is a basic pesto recipe, but you could experiment with it and add other ingredients like a sharper cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh sage, kalamata olives, lemon zest, or roast the garlic. The pesto could be made vegan by leaving out the cheese, but if you do this, add ½ cup blanched almonds. Use the freshest basil possible.

Ingredients:
3 large garlic cloves
½ cup pine nuts, slightly toasted
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated (2/3 cup)
1 t salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
With food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, and basil, then process until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil, blending until incorporated.

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Caesar Salad

Since I almost always have vegans at my table, I enjoy the challenge of finding/creating vegan alternatives to traditionally dairy infused menu items. I decided to make both a traditional and vegan Caesar salad with fresh croûtons. I made equal portions of both types of salad.

Ingredient:
4 heads romaine hearts, rinsed, spun, and chopped

Traditional Dressing:
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
8 anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil

Vegan Dressing:
2 T blanched almonds
3 cloves garlic
3 T nutritional yeast flakes
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
3 T Dijon mustard
¼ c water
1 T extra-virgin olive oil

Croûtons:
1 day old baguette, torn or cut into bite size pieces
¼ olive oil
½ t Italian seasoning
¼ t garlic powder
pinch of salt
a couple cranks freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Make croûtons first, tossing all ingredients in a mixing bowl until baguette pieces are well saturated. Spread croûtons out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 325º just until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Split romaine into two separate serving bowls.

For the traditional salad, add first 5 ingredients to a food processor and process until well blended and fairly smooth. Gradually add olive oil to running processor. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with half of romaine and half of the cooled croûtons.

For the vegan salad, grind almonds in food processor. Add all remaining ingredients except the and blend until smooth. Toss with the other half of romaine cooled croûtons.

Each salad serves 4-5

Simple Insalata Caprese

Ingredients:
2 Fresh mozzarella balls, sliced into thin disks
4 ripe slicing tomatoes, ideally heirloom
2 dozen or so whole fresh basil leaves
3 T olive oil
½ t dried oregano
sea salt
fresh cracked pepper

Directions:
layer cheese, tomatoes, and basil into shingles on a serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6