marinara part deux: makin' it fresh!

The plus side of living stateside is the fact that I have access to FRESH fruits and vegetables. In Guam, everything was oftentimes past it's peak or not readily available. And if it were available, it was gone in a blink of an eye. God, I missed vegetables. Even finding a good-tasting tomato was hard to find.

With that being said, I have made marinara sauce before using ingredients I had on hand. Although using canned tomatoes was convenient, I felt that I was cheating my inner chef. Inner thrifty home-maker was pretty happy with the results, but inner chef was screaming to work with fresher ingredients. Thankfully, with the abundance of farmer's markets like Freshfields Farm, Jacksonville Farmer's Market, and Camden Tomato House in derivable distance, fresh ingredients aren't hard to find. So, I decided to remake the marinara sauce again.

I knew that basic marinara sauce was primarily tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions. So, I looked through my pinterest board for some ideas and decided to use a combination of these three recipes. Mainly, using their major herbs and putting them in mine. Also, I wanted my sauce to have a kick of garlic . . . a nod to all things Italian, lol.

But not everything was farm fresh. Inner thrifty home-maker was tired of tediously mincing garlic by hand so a bottle of minced garlic was bought and stored in the fridge. With that being said, instead of bottle minced garlic, a substitution of 5 to 6 fresh garlic cloves would probably work.

In the end, I love how this sauce tastes. It's not as red as I'd like it to be, but the flavor is awesome! It's got a good amount of garlic, very tomatoey, and just the right flavor from the combination of herbs. If anything, I think I made too little. Can you imagine if I had made this during tomato season?? And inner chef? Definitely happy. :)

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Fresh Marinara Sauce
(adapted from Angie's Kitchen, Homemade Hooplah, and Tide and Thyme)

3 large vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp bottled minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp paprika
2 tbsp finely chopped italian parsley
salt and pepper
water, as needed*

 
In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat then add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until fragrant and onion begin to soften. Add tomatoes, dried herbs, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper, then continue cooking until tomatoes reduce and sauce thickens (about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in parsley and reseason as needed. Simmer for a further few minutes then serve.

*If sauce is too thick, add water as needed and reseason to taste.

Makes about 2 cups.

it's all greek to me.

Today was a hectic grocery day. I don't know why I didn't do it on Sunday, but I found myself wandering the island and getting things for next week's lunches and dinners. So not only did I get the groceries, I did a ton of prep today as well. Man... Am I pooped.

With that being said, I still wanted to make something that took *some* effort (even though I was starting to run on fumes) despite the busy day I've had. So I went on my pinterest board and looked for inspiration. I don't know what made me look for "Greek", but when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. And being an over-achiever that I am, I decided to make some mash and veggies to go with it.

The first problem that I ran into was not having any Greek seasoning. Another quick looksie through pinterest and I found this spice mix which looked interesting (with the added bonus that I had everything listed in my pantry). After tasting a bit of it, I was really blown away! Herby a little salty, I knew this was a killer spice mix! I made sure to save the recipe in my files so I can make it again when I run out in the future.

With the main problem out of the way, everything went surprisingly smooth and with very little effort than I anticipated. Of course, it definitely helped that I went grocery shopping earlier today...I just so happened to get all the ingredients that I needed for the recipes I chose. Yay for happy happenstance!

With regard to the actual meal, I thought that it all went well together. Loved the mash and also the veggies. The chicken was so-and-so... I'm thinking that I went overboard on the yogurt (I halved the recipe) and it didn't cook that way it was intended because I used skinless boneless thighs. I may do this recipe again, but with no lemon juice (just zest) and just enough yogurt to coat the chicken...

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Greek Seasoning Blend
(from AllRecipes.com)

2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried rosemary, minced
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, rosemary, dill, marjoram, cornstarch, thyme, and nutmeg in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Alternately, blend spices in a spice grinder for a finer texture.

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Greek Marinated Chicken
(from Budget Bytes)

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tbsp dried oregano
1 medium lemon
½ tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper
¼ bunch fresh parsley
3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces

To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.

Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.

To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9x13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

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Feta and Herb Mashed Potatoes
(from Katie's Cucina)

6 medium white potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup each fresh parsley, dill, and sliced green onions
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
*3 tbsp milk if needed

Peel, chop, and rinse potatoes. Fill water to just above the potatoes and add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to fall apart when a knife is inserted in them.

Drain potatoes, and add 1/4 cup butter to the pot the potatoes were boiling in. Add the potatoes back to the pot then add fresh parsley, dill, and green onions followed by feta cheese. Place a lid on top of the potatoes and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Add black pepper to the potatoes and mash using a hand-mixer. Add milk if needed (one tablespoon at a time or until moist). Top with more fresh herbs and butter and serve immediately.

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Easy Mediterranean Vegetables
(from She Wears Many Hats)

2 tbsp + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium zucchini, cut in eighths lengthwise, then halved crosswise (about 3 inches long)
1 medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
2 tsp greek seasonings
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp sugar

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large grill-safe skillet and place on hot grill (or stove-top over medium-high heat) until hot. Add zucchini, onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 6 minutes or until browned on edges.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil plus remaining ingredients.

Remove skillet from heat. Add seasoning mixture to cooked vegetables; toss gently to coat.