Holiday Pasta

Working in the service industry, it is not a popular stance to get excited about the holidays. When you work in retail or in food service, with the holidays comes insanely crabby and stressed out people (what do you MEAN you don't have anymore spiced pecans!! Now what am I going to do?!! This is ruining my whole shopping trip...stay right there while I call my sister and yell at her about how horrible you are because you sold out of spiced pecans..."), lots and lots and lots more work, and towards the end insanely crabby and stressed out coworkers. So when I say something like, "I love the holidays!" I get a lot of eyerolls.

But, also working in the service industry, I have very few days where I can actually see my whole family at once. I can never make it to birthday parties that are on weekends, I can't ever go to school plays or recitals. At least I know that there are two days each year that I don't work and we will all be under the same roof (at my mom's): Thanksgiving and Christmas.


I got the idea for this pasta because I wanted to see the red and green colors of the holiday season manifested on a plate. It ended up surprising me with how delicious it is - I made it as something quick before work one afternoon. The fabulous taste and beautiful presentation make this pasta fit for any holiday meal (that is, if you're like my family and don't have the conventional turkey-stuffing-potato layout). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Holiday Pasta

• 1/2 pound dry whole wheat short-shape pasta (I used penne)
• 7-8 baby portobella mushrooms
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch lacinto or Tuscan kale
• 6 tablespoons of real butter
• 1/4 cup + a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried OR 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring quite a bit of water to a rolling boil. Drop in pasta, stir, and cook until it is al dente (still firm to the bite) - about 8 minutes. When it is done, drain it in a colander. Do not rinse the pasta.

Remove the stems off the kale. Tear each leaf into bite size pieces (about two inch squares - but it doesn't have to be exact). Rinse under cool water. Simmer a couple of inches of water on another pot, add the kale, and cover to steam until desired tenderness is reached - I usually do five to ten minutes. I like a little bit of crunchy left. When it is done, lift it out of the water and drain it in a colander.

Meanwhile, cut the ends off the onion and peel off the skin. Halve and then thinly slice the onion. Wash the tomatoes (preferably with Veggie Wash) and then halve each one. Clean the mushrooms by dampening a soft, clean kitchen towel (or paper towel) and rubbing the dirt off the tops. Cut each mushroom into quarters.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large pot (if the pasta is done already, you can use this pot). Add the onions and saute until softened, about five minutes. Add in the dried oregano and dried basil (if using fresh, do not add it in at this stage). Drop in two tablespoons of the butter, and once it melts add in the mushrooms. After they start to let out their juices, three minutes or so, add in the tomatoes and the kale. Stir well. Add the pasta, remaining butter and olive oil and sir to coat.

Once the butter is melted, remove the pot from the heat. Add in the balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese and fresh basil (if using). If the pasta seems dry, add in some more oil and/or butter. If you like a stronger flavor, use more vinegar.

Colorful nutrition, filling comfort

Stand-by Tomato Sauce

“Authentic” Italian food always makes me chuckle. I am from an Italian family, and to us, Italian food is any food that is cooked by an Italian. To Italians, authentic food is whatever is growing in their garden or is available fresh from the nearby market. Large chain restaurants that advertise so-called authentic Italian family cooking make us (my authentic Italian family) laugh because, really, Italian food is no secret and definitely does not have any rules or regulations surrounding it. The best Italian food is made by my favorite Italian (who happens to be my mother), and my  favorite Italian dishes of hers are anything from her delicious lasagna to her  to numerous vegetable rice pilafs to her cheeseburgers and so on and so forth. One should never argue over the authenticity of an Italian recipe, because to an Italian, authentic is using whatever is quality, on hand and fresh, and the only distinctions between varying types of Italian cuisine are because of the various climates and growing conditions throughout the boot country.

That being said, every Italian and really every cook of any sort has their favorite stand-by classic tomato sauce recipe. This is mine - I offer you this, the best Italian tomato sauce ever ;), straight from the brain of an authentic Italian, sure to please all sorts of pasta shapes, meatball varieties and food enthusiasts alike.

This recipe will make enough for about one pound of pasta, give or take a little bit. If you'd like, make a larger quantity and freeze or preserve some.

To freeze this sauce, bring it to room temperature and place into containers or bags, then chill in the refrigerator. Once cool, stick it in the freezer. To use from frozen, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. It doesn't have to thaw completely - just enough to pour out of the container and into a pot over the stove. Reheat over low heat with the lid on until it is hot.

Stand-by Tomato Sauce

• 3 pounds tomatoes, OR one 28 ounce can and one 14 ounce can quality whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
• 5-6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 rib celery with leaves, halved and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 bay leaf

In a large saucepot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until the onions are browned and translucent, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, if you are using fresh tomatoes, peel them. Remove the green top and score an “X” into the bottoms. Submerge in a pot of boiling water for about thirty seconds, until the skin begins to separate. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, slip the skins off (this is incredibly easy).

Place the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper and fennel seeds in a blender and process until they are a smooth consistency.

Add the tomato mixture to the saucepot and add the bay leaf and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat as low as possible and simmer, partially covered, for at least one hour – up to six hours. The longer the sauce simmers, the thicker and more concentrated the taste becomes. 

This recipe makes enough for about eight servings of pasta. I often use half of it now and freeze the rest. Chill the sauce after cooking, and place in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, scoop it into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. To use the frozen sauce, simply thaw it for a day or two in the refrigerator and give it a quick simmer on the stove.