The Simplest and Fastest Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti and meatballs in less than half an hour!

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.40

Useful leftovers: Yes

The Fastest and Tomatoiest!
1 can very good tomatoes.
1 onion
1 rib of celery

A bit of oil

One of the better canned tomatoes from California is fine. Check the label and if you find some without a lot of salt and without calcium chloride pick that.

Chop the onion and celery and saute in a heavy bottomed pot until translucent in a bit of oil. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Let it simmer for a while. Mash up the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

This is surprisingly good and so simple. You can jazz it up by adding garlic, red wine, rosemary, cumin, pesto, basil, sausage, salami, ground beef, cheese, lemon, tiny shrimp or any number of other goodies!

You can use this sauce with pasta of course but you can also use it to cook chicken or fish or as a seasoning for other sauces. You can add it to macaroni and cheese to make it tomatoey or put it on top of a roast or meat loaf. So handy!

The reason we look for tomatoes without calcium chloride is that they add it to keep the tomatoes whole and firm, and we want them to break down into the sauce.

Mushroom Rice

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 1 minute or less

Cooking time: 15 to 35 minutes plus 10 minutes to rest

Cost per serving: $0.50 to $2.00 depending on what dried mushrooms you use

Useful leftovers: Yes. Throw in soup or use to make fried rice.


Dried mushrooms are a great ingredient. So useful for making stocks here it creates a stock as the rice cooks.

It's important to use mushrooms that will be tender enough to eat. Some dried mushrooms can be really tough. To check put a few dried mushrooms in a cup of hot water and wait ten minutes then taste them.

If they are tough then you can use them to make stock but don't add them to the dish. Just heat two cups of water and add the mushrooms, wait ten minutes or until the stock is dark brown then drain and use the water in the recipe instead of using the mushrooms.

2 tablespoons dried mushrooms
2 cups of rice (I like brown basmati but you can use virtually any kind of rice)
Water to cover

Put the dried mushrooms in a pot. Add the rice. Cook according to the directions on the rice. I always use my mom's rule - put enough water in to cover the rice and one thumbnail. I put in two thumbnails for brown rice because it takes longer to cook.

This is a hearty dish and you can garnish it in many ways. You can use walnut or almond or peanut pieces, smoke salmon, pork, bits of chicken, green herbs, etc.

This recipe is not only a great accompaniment it is a great leftover. A tablespoon in a veggie soup packs a lot of flavor. It reheats beautifully. You can use it to stuff vegetables or a chicken. You can saute onions, carrots, parsnips, etc. in the pan before you make this recipe in it. You can add curry, cumin, saffron, etc.

Onions and Fennel

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 7 - 10  minutes

Cost per serving: $0.75 to $1.00

Useful leftovers: Yes. This is great thrown into a soup or used in a pasta sauce

I served a nice dinner to a friend yesterday and this was the dish he really liked. It's easy and fast and very tasty.

This recipe involves dry-frying, my technique of cooking vegetables in a hot pan with no oil or liquids.

1 Onion
1 large bulb of Fennel
A bit of olive oil or butter
Salt and Pepper

Peel, remove the stem and chop the onion into slices or chunks at least 1/4" thick. If they are too thin they will burn rather than grill.

Peel if necessary, remove the core and chop of slice the same size as the onion.

Put the vegetables in a cold heavy bottomed frying pan and turn the heat onto medium. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are completely cooked and browned a little. Season with salt and pepper, a bit of olive oil or butter and swirl the pan around. Serve.

This dish can stay hot in the pan for a few minutes.

You can make this with parsnips, celery, very small dice of carrots, zucchini, etc.

You can serve this with Super Sauce, walnut pieces, bits of smoked ham, sliced green leafy herbs like basil or parsley, or rosemary or cumin.

Cucumber and Carrot Salad

Difficulty: Very easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $1.00

Useful leftovers: Useful but not great. The salad is best fresh.

So easy! So healthy! So tasty!
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tablespoon of walnut pieces
Toasted sesame oil
Lemon juice or vinegar
Salt and pepper

Wash the cucumber and slice it thinly or cut into chunks.

Scrub the carrot and cut it into small pieces. I like to do this by cutting a thin slice lengthwise so it will sit flat, then cutting it into wedges, then cutting those into sticks. Use a sharp, heavy knife for best control.

Put the cucumber and carrot in a mixing bowl and season with the sesame oil, lemon juice or vinegar and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the walnuts on top and serve.

To make this really special, toast the walnuts for a few minutes in a dry saute pan over medium heat or in a 350° oven for a few minutes, then let them cool and add them to the salad.

Dry Fried Asparagus

Difficulty: Very Easy

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 4 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.40

Useful leftovers: Yes

Dry frying is my technique of cooking vegetables in a dry hot pan until done then dressed lightly with oil or butter and seasonings.

It is really easy and fast and the veggies taste fantastic.

You need a heavy bottomed pan. You can't make this in a thin bottomed pan. Maybe you can, but I can't.

This recipe works really well with asparagus, green beans, squash, carrots, onions, celery, etc.

Asparagus, washed carefully and dried, tough stalks removed and cut into 1/2" pieces
A tiny bit of butter
Salt and pepper

Heat a cast iron pan until it is fairly hot. You don't want it extremely hot but if you drop a drop of water on it it should sizzle and the water should evaporate quickly.

Put the chopped veggies in one layer in the pan. It's ok if they don't all quite fit but if you have two complete layers the veggies will get soggy.

Shake the pan every couple of minutes while they cook. Let the veggies cook until they are slightly brown and just barely done. Toss in the bit of butter and swirl the pan just until the butter is melted and pour out into a serving dish. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently.

Sauteed Celery

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.25 to $0.50

Useful leftovers: Good reheated and good to throw in soup or use other ways

This is a simple dish but it's unusual and has a lot of flavor and texture.

Celery
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper and a pinch of celery seeds.

Wash and slice a few ribs of celery about 1/4 inch thick. Heat a dry, heavy bottomed pan and add the celery and let it sit for a minute or two until it starts to turn brown. Add a bit of olive oil (just for flavor really) and grind a pinch of celery seeds with your fingers over it, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Takes a couple of minutes, is low in calories and tastes great. Simple and delicious and unusual enough to serve at the fanciest tables.

You can vary the recipe by adding onions, corn, parsnips, parsley, etc. It's great for a bed for entrees.

Easy, Fast, Tasty, Pea soup

Just one word - YUM!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: up to ten minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Cost per serving: $0.50 and up depending on garnishes

Useful leftovers: Yes


Just like the title says this is easy, fast and very tasty. 

1 small onion or half a big one
1 small carrot of half a big one
1 pound bag of frozen peas, rinsed with hot water
Pinch of thyme, fresh or dried
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Cut the carrot and onion into small dice. Saute gently in the olive oil until they are cooked but not browned. This is called sweating.

Add the peas and enough water just to cover them. Bring to a boil and blend, either with a stick or regular blender or in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.

To make it fancy blend it really well then force it through a sieve. This will get rid of any bits of veggies that didn't puree completely and give you a smoother texture.

You can add a touch of cream and a dot of butter if you want a more classic French style soup.

You can garnish this soup many ways. I like crunchy or salty things as they contrast with the mild soup. Croutons, nuts, bits of ham, small chunks of lemon and bits of black olive are all great with this soup. You could put a dollop of yogurt or sour cream in the middle for a nice garnish.

Onions and Peppers

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: Depends on how much you make but for 2 lbs of peppers and an onion figure 10 minutes

Cooking time: 7 - 10  minutes

Cost per serving: cheap

Useful leftovers: Oh yes

This sounds too simple to be good. I almost always have a tub of this in my fridge and I use it all the time.

Onions
Sweet red peppers
Olive oil
Salt

This would be so drab without it!

It couldn't be much simpler. Go to a market where you can get inexpensive red bell peppers. There are some Asian markets near here where I sometimes get them for less than a dollar. 

Number two peppers are fine for this. Those are the ones that are too twisted or have a scar or blemish and can't be sold as a number 1. As long as they are not cracked open or disgusting or old they are fine. Look for crisp ones that have a relatively smooth skin.

I don't care about the skins on the peppers but if you do go ahead and peel them. 

Wash and dry the peppers. Cut the flesh into strips. I don't cook for customers or teachers so I don't care if they are all the same size. Makes no difference here.

Cut an onion into chunks.

Put the vegetables into a dry, heavy bottomed pan. You cannot make this in a thin pan. You'll burn everything. Turn the heat onto medium and when they are just starting to brown add 1/4 cup of good olive oil. Not a fancy olive oil, just not a bitter cheesy one.

Turn the heat way down and stir like mad.  At this point you want to cook the stuff very slowly for at least 1/2 hr.  We don't want a lot of browning but we want everything to be fully cooked and soft. Don't let a molecule of raw onion remain but be careful nothing burns. If you can cook it for 45 minutes without burning it so much the better.

Put the peppers and onions into a bowl and scrape the stuff from the bottom of the pan into the bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and another tablespoon of olive oil. When it is cooled to room temperature put it in the fridge.

Here are some ways that I use this:

As a bruschetta topping, sometimes with smoked herring and lemon or with cucumbers
As a pasta sauce base
As a meat sauce base
As a salad dressing base
Over a rare steak or piece of lamb or sausage
As a salad ingredient
As a filling in a stuffed chicken breast of pork chop
As a flavoring oil'
As a dip

You can vary this many ways. I sometimes add serrano chiles or chunks of potato. I like to sprinkle Cholula hot sauce on it. You can use it to top chile or enchiladas. It's great with sour cream.

These peppers go well with bits of salty things like ham but also with very savory things like grilled meat, sausage, or meaty fish like mackerel.

The best thing in this recipe is the oil! It tastes great. Just sprinkle a little on a grilled Italian sausage, or grilled eggplant or tomatoes. Just great.

Hartman House Spice Rub

You get a whole lotta yum with a few spices

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: None

Cost per serving: Maybe a quarter

Useful leftovers: Keep it dry and cool

I use this mixture a lot! I use it as a general seasoning and a spice rub when I barbeque or smoke meat. It's good on vegetables. You can add other spices or herbs to adjust it for individual recipes.

Notice there is NO salt in this. I mix salt into it when I use it so I can control the amount. There is nothing in here to keep it from hardening. So sometimes, especially if you live in a humid climate, you'll have to scrape or hit it with a spoon. Better than loading it with chemicals to keep it flowing.

Since I never measure anything and you can alter this as you wish the amounts are very approximate.

10 parts Sweet Paprika
2 parts Smoked Paprika
1 part Chipotle powder
2 parts Garlic powder
2 parts freshly ground Cumin seeds
1 part Celery seeds, ground between your fingers
1 part Dried Thyme
1 part freshly ground black pepper

Mix it in a bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Put it in a container and keep tightly closed.