Sunday Suppers and Food for Thought

I love Sunday. Sunday means something special for family dinner. And Sunday for our family is the day dad is home and a day to reflect on our blessings. Life slows way down on Sundays. It's also the day when I especially like to contemplate on what I have learned the past week, in all aspects of life. Somehow Sundays give you permission to do that more so than on other days. Tomorrow I'm going to think about patience and why it's considered a virtue. Someone once described God's amazing ability to hold back and wait things out as a "miracle of restraint." I have always coveted that kind of patience, while not being quite able to comprehend it. The ability to sit on one's hands and wait for the outcome that is certain to come if we just let it, no matter how long it takes, is not something impatient people are very good at. We have a tendency to want to take matters into our own hands and help things along - even if we haven't thought the process out all the way through to its final conclusion. I have found, that often, waiting it out yields an infinitely better outcome. But God already knew that.

What does this have to do with dinner? A great deal, actually. Life is funny that way. The big philosophical challenges can apply to the most common of everyday tasks. Take the conundrum of the microwave versus the slow-cooker. Microwaves are great for killing bacteria and your lunch. I believe they are a necessary evil. I also believe they have contributed to the horrendous state of ill health in our country. I have no facts to prove this, just a hunch based on observation. There's something about eating in a hurry that has no appeal for me. I was obviously born in the wrong time period.

Microwaves are great for some things - don't get me wrong. But slow cookers are better. At least for making things like chicken stock, Marinara, Bolognese, beef stew, pot roast, chili, cassoulet…anything that improves greatly with low, slow, even cooking. Good healthy ingredients go into a slow cooker. No preservatives, artificiality, and stuff one can't pronounce. My slow cooker is one appliance I have an up close and personal relationship with, unlike my bread maker which is relegated to the top of the fridge, just enough out of reach to make me think about using it, but not actually doing it. Oh I admire the bread maker greatly, from afar, and often reminisce of our few dalliances with fondness. There have been sporadic bursts of bread baking mania followed by long periods of inactivity; it just doesn't hold my attention for very long, and it makes me fat. But the slow cooker constantly saves my busy behind and for that it gets my undying loyalty.

I have a rule when using my slow cooker - everything that goes into it is sautéed, browned, heated or reduced. I never ever put raw unheated items in there and turn it on low. I have known people who did, which is why it took me until I was in my mid 30's to buy one. Two - okay, I have two rules - do not open that lid to "check on it." This is why I have often turned my slow cooker on at night before going to bed. Restraint is not my strong suit. The big problem with that is waking up in the middle of the night to delicious aromas wafting into the bedroom. It's a really strange way to wake up.

Yesterday my favorite canned tomatoes were on sale at my supermarket. I stocked up. The first order of the day is to make a slow-cooker Marinara. I allow at least 30-45 minutes of prep time and about 6 hours of slow cooking. This makes for a basic and very yummy sauce for those meatballs I'm going to work on tomorrow.

This is how I did it:

1 medium yellow onion chopped (any onion or even shallots can be used)

3 carrots chopped (this adds sweetness to counter the acidity of the tomatoes without adding sugar, and veggies the kids can't see)

6 cloves of garlic chopped

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Turkish Bay leaf

1 tsp Mediterranean oregano (this is dried, use more if using fresh)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cans San Marzano tomatoes (known for their sweetness and great flavor)

Sautee the onion and carrots until onion is translucent, add garlic, bay leaf, oregano, salt and peppers right to the pan. When fragrant add tomatoes. When heated through transfer to slow cooker. About half way through taste for salt and pepper.

Notes

After cooking I remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to get the sauce to a good consistency - not too pureed but no huge chunks of tomatoes.

I freeze half for other dinners, and use the other half for tonight's dinner and for a different dish later in the week.

This is a very basic sauce. There are many ways to change it up. Sauteeing chopped pancetta and then adding the vegetables makes the sauce more complex. Just reduce the amount of olive oil as needed. Adding a cup of reduced red wine at the beginning of cooking also adds depth. Reducing the wine first before adding it to the slow cooker improves the taste greatly. I always reduce the wine first before adding it to foods. Adding a cup of grated parmesan cheese or a four cheese Italian blend like the one I found at Sam's (another great warehouse purchase) mellows the acidity of the tomatoes and adds great rich flavor. Adding fresh herbs such as basil or Italian parsley at the end after cooking keeps the herb flavors bright. Many times I split the sauce up and add different things to each portion. This recipe makes a huge amount of sauce - enough for four Spaghetti dinners for a family of 4-6.

San Marzano tomatoes can be pricey and hard to find in some areas. I have done this recipe with a can of crushed tomatoes from my local warehouse store. This makes it extremely economical and much better than a jar. Taste the sauce for sweetness and add a tsp or two of brown sugar if needed. Under $3 for a 110 oz can - it cannot be beat!

Sauce is a very personal thing - some people like it chunky, some people have picky eaters who want a smooth sauce. The great thing about making it at home is that you control what goes in and what doesn't. Don't be afraid to play with different ingredients and make the sauce decidedly your own! No cookbooks needed!