Pizza With Portobello Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Calabrese Salami
This is an easy dinner using grocery store pitas and gourmet ingredients such as portobello mushrooms, beautiful tomatoes and Calabrese salami. Pizza with fresh flavours are easy to make at home – no delivery necessary!
Penne with Vodka Sauce
This delicious recipe is from The Food Network. They only change I have made is to reduce the amount of vodka in the sauce because I feel 1 cup is too much. I love any kind of pasta, but one of my particular favourites is this homemade vodka sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 pound penne
Directions
Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Yummy!!!!!! I’m sooo hungry now!! 🙂
I am always hungry for pasta and pizza 🙂
Me tooo! My favorite foods to eat. 🙂
Makes me want to forego my low-cal Asian stir fry dinner tonight, that’s for sure. Looks good, Leslie!
Thank you 🙂
When the dishes look like yours, they are the ultimate comfort food indeed 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you pasta and pizza are tasty and usually we have the ingredients in the cupboard/refrigerator 🙂
The ultimate comfort food, think I’ll make a pizza tonight!
Hey Leslie, I’m channeling comfort food right now and the pizza/pasta certainly fit the bill…
I love both pizza and pasta, never say no to them.