MARCELLA HAZAN'S TOMATO SAUCE

Marcella Hazan (may she rest in peace) died yesterday at 89. She revolutionized Italian cooking here in the US and will be remembered for eschewing the large amounts of garlic so favored here in Italian cooking. Many of her recipes were simplicity itself. Here's her recipe for her tomato sauce. It couldn't be simpler. I like that.

MARCELLA HAZAN'S TOMATO SAUCE

enough for one pound of pasta

 

2 C tomatoes, with their juices (1 28-oz can San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes

5 T butter

1 onion, peeled and cut in half

 

1. Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.

 

2. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.

 

3. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.

 

 



PUMPKIN AND PEAR BREAD PUDDING

I must admit that I've never made this and the procedure looks like it will take some time. But the results have to be really good. I'm sure the pumpkin bread can be made and enjoyed by itself and the pumpkin custard is probably also good alone. But together? Heaven. You'll have to spend some time doing this.


Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 T active dry yeast
1/3 C warm water
4 T unsalted butter, melted
1 C pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
3 T honey
2 t salt
2 large eggs
1/3 C milk
5-5 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour

Pears

2 C sweet apple cider
3 T amoretto liqueur
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1 t grated nutmeg
6 pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Pumpkin Custard

2 1/2 C milk
3/4 C heavy whipping cream
6 large eggs
2 C pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1 t grated nutmeg
3 T amaretto liqueur

Caramelized Amaretto Cream

1 C sugar
3/4 C water
1 t vanilla extract
1 C heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
1/4 C amaretto liqueur

1. Two days before you plan to serve the pudding, prepare the bread. Place the yeast and water in a large mixing bowl and let stand until dissolved, 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the butter, pumpkin, honey, salt, eggs and milk. Whisk this mixture into the yeast. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft, pliable dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

3. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Punch the dough down and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 15 x 9 inch rectangle. Starting at one short side, roll the dough into a loaf and place in the prepared loaf pan. Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 375.

5. Bake the pumpkin bread until crusty and brown on top, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and cool completely. Let the bread sit uncovered for at least a day before cutting into 1/2 inch cubes for the pudding. You will need 9 cups of loosely packed cubes for the pudding; save the remaining bread for another use.

6. Prepare the pears. Place the cider, liqueur, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced pears and cook 5 minutes. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Simmer the remaining liquid until reduced to a thin syrup, about 30 minutes. Return the pears to the pan and cook a few minutes more, turning the pears to coat with the syrup. Set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 15 x 10 inch baking dish.

8. Place the 9 cups cubed pumpkin bread in the prepared baking dish.

9. Prepare the pumpkin custard: Scald the milk and cream together in a saucepan over medium heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well blended. Whisk in the scalded milk and cream, then the liqueur. Pour the custard evenly over the bread in the baking dish.

10. Set the baking dish in a larger baking pan and add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of the dish. Bake the pudding 40 minutes. Spoon the pears and syrup over the top and bake until the custard is set, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature, drizzling each serving with Caramelized Amaretto Cream.

11. Make the amaretto cream: Place the sugar, water and vanilla in a small heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium high and boil, without stirring, until the mixture turns golden brown, 5- 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

12. Gradually whisk in the cream, being careful to stand back as the mixture will sputter and bubble. Return the mixture to low heat and stir until thickened to the consistency of thick whipping cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur. Serve warm.

 

PUMPKIN RECIPES

In response to a reader's request for recipes for pumpkin, I'm posting several here, all at once. I hope he'll (you'll) like them.

PUMPKING MOUSSE WITH CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

serves 8-10

 

1 t unflavored gelatin

1/4 C dark rum

4 eggs separated and at room temperature

1/2 C sugar

1 C pumpkin puree

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t ground mace

1/8 t ground cloves

1/3 C crystallized ginger, chopped, plus 2 pieces cut into julienne strips for decoration

1 1/2 C heavy cream

 

1. In a small saucepan, dissolve the gelatin in the rum over medium low heat, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

 

2. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and a quarter cup of the sugar. Beat until thick and lemon-colored.

 

3. In a separate large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree with the gelatin mixture and whisk in the spices. Add the yolk mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

 

4. Whip one cup of heavy cream until stiff and set aside.

 

5. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites. When they being to stiffen, gradually add the remaining quarter cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks. Fold the chopped ginger and the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and gently fold in the beaten egg whites.

 

6. Fold the mixture into a three quart soufflé dish and set in the freezer for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for two hours, or until ready to serve. When ready to serve, whip the remaining half cup of cream and pipe a lattice of the whipped cream over the mousse, using a pastry bag fitted with a star tube. Sprinkle with the julienne ginger.

 

 

 

CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP, VERSION 1

makes 4 servings

 

This is the lighter version, with only a few ingredients, and using bread as a thickener.

 

2 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-2 inch cubes.

6 cloves garlic, peeled

4 C water

4-5 slices stale, crustless French or Italian bread

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

minced fresh parsley for garnish

 

1. Combine the pumpkin and garlic in a large pot, along with water and heat on medium high. (You can use stock; the flavor will be better. But this is not essential.)

 

2. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft. (You can prepare up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days and reheat before proceeding.)

 

3. Tear the bread into pieces and add them to the broth; cook for 5 more minutes.

 

4. Puree the soup in  food mill or blender, reheat, add salt and pepper. Garnish and serve.

 

 

CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP, VERSION II

serves 4

 

This is more complex and interesting and has more fat but is no more difficult to prepare.

 

3 T butter

1 lb pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-2 inch cubes

1 lb crisp tart apples, such as McIntosh or Granny smith, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 C chicken stock, beef stock or vegetable stock or water, preferably warmed

1/2 C dry white wine

1 t fresh tarragon leaves, or 1/4 t dried

1 C heavy or light cream

minced fresh parsley leaves or snipped chives for garnish

 

1. Place the butter in a large, deep saucepan; turn the heat to medium. When it melts, add the pumpkin, apples and onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion soften, 5-10 minutes. But do not darken. Season with salt and pepper.

 

2. Add the stock or water, wine, and tarragon, turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, partially cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft. Cool slightly, then puree the soup in a food mill or blender. (You can prepare up to this point and keep refrigerated and covered for up to 2 days. Reheat before proceeding.)

 

3. Return it to the p an and cook, gently over medium low heat until heated through; do not boil. Stir in the cream and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. (Do not boil or the soup will curdle.) Garnish and serve.



 

 



 



 

 



THE END

Phil's Favorite Food began as a two volume cookbook I produced many years ago for a few friends with whom I exchanged Christmas gifts. Each year I gave the four of them the same gift and since they were all cooks, those two cookbooks seemed an appropriate offering. I'm pleased that the books were greatly appreciated and often (and I hear, still) used. Some years later, other friends I entertained discovered that their meals had come from these books, and when seeing them, asked me for their own copy. So I produced a few more. Those productions were a labor, but one of love.

When I started this blog, it seemed logical to give it the same title and to enter the recipes from those two cookbooks. At first, I tried to post recipes I thought appropriate to the season but when that rationale fell apart, I went back to the beginning of my volumes and just posted everything I had so far left out. As a result, since January when this all began, I've posted all the original 237 recipes and now those of you who have been following me have access to all the recipes (and accompanying comments) from the original volumes. With that work complete it now seems a logical time to bring this blog to a close.

My last post, an index of all 237 recipes, placed in appropriate categories and each showing the date of each posting, will enable you to find any recipe you might want. I hope you'll use this index as much as my original four friends, and that you'll continue to experience the food I've recommended here. I'm grateful to Facebook and to Google, the originator of this blogging service, for enabling me to share what started out as a gift to four friends with my Facebook-friends audience, as well as the wider audience I can see from statistics available to me that exists all over the world. Since the beginning,  there have been 5745 hits on this site.

Good food is like love. It warms the heart. Enjoy.










 

COMPLETE INDEX OF RECIPES

Phil’s Favorite Food

Blog Entries

Index by Category, Complete

 

This is a list of all recipes posted on Phil’s blog, Phil’s Favorite Food. Each recipe shows the date of posting so it will be easier to find. These can all be accessed and downloaded at philsfavoritefood.blogspot.com

 

 

Drinks

 

Bloody Marys                                                              Feb 5

Creamsicles                                                                Feb 5

The Authentic, Traditional Mint Julep                         May 2

Champagne Cocktail                                                  Jun 27

Pisco Sour                                                                  Aug 3

Barb’s Christmas Eggnog                                           Sep 15

 

 

Hors d’Oeuvres

 

Bar Nuts (Phil’s Nuts)                                                 Jan 16

Roasted Eggplant Dip (for Chicken Curry)                Jan 30

Artichoke Squares                                                      Feb 1

Jim’s Olive Tapenade                                                 Feb 24

Curried Cheese Spread                                              Mar 3

Rice Krispie Squares                                                  Mar 5

Creamed Mushroom Bruschetta with Onions            May 10

Mexican Appetizer                                                      May 13

Cucumber Pickles with Cheese and Rye Bread        May 20

Marinated Olives                                                         May 21

Olive Tapenade                                                          May 22

Pate                                                                             May 23

Caviar with Cream Cheese                                        May 28

Gala Cocktail Dip                                                        Jun 9

David’s Artichokes                                                      Jun 13

 

 

 

Soup and First Courses

 

Cold Curried Apple Soup                                            Jan 17

Corn Chowder                                                            Feb 3

Melon Carpaccio                                                        Mar 4

Tomato Aspic                                                              Mar 13

Cold Tomato Soup with Cucumber and Melon          Mar 15

Easy Oysters Rockefeller                                          Mar 20

Minted Pea Soup                                                        Mar 22

Nancy Hernke’s Onion Soup                                      Mar 24

Watermelon Salad                                                      May 24

Senegalese Soup                                                        Jun 8

Pasta e Fagioli                                                Jun 11

Cold Asparagus, or Zucchini, Soup                            Jun 12

David’s Artichokes                                                      Jun 13

Red Pepper Soup                                                       Jun 14

Butternut Squash Soup with Star Anise and Shrimp  Jun 16

Gazpacho (five recipes)                                             Jul 2

Chilled Orange and Carrot Soup                                Jul 19

Lobster Bisque                                                            Jul 22

 

 

Salads and Dressings

 

Vinaigrette Dressing                                                    Jan 24

Ina Garten’s Green Salad Vinaigrette             Jan 24

Raita (for Chicken Curry Dinner)                               Jan 29

Sweetheart Salad                                                       Feb 14

The Best Caesar Salad Ever, No Kidding                  Mar 8

Chicken Salad Veronique                                           Mar 10

Aunt Nola’s Boiled Dressing                                       Mar 11

Chicken Salad a la Danny Kaye                                Mar 12

Peggy’s Sweet and Sour Dressing                             Mar 16

Cobb Salad                                                                 Mar 28

Watermelon Salad                                                      May 24

Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Salad                                    Jun 17

Watermelon Salad                                                      Jul 19

Peanut Sauce                                                             Jul 20

Chiapperelli’s Italian Salad                                          Jul 24

Cucumber Salad                                                         Jul 26

Indian Salad Dressing                                                 Jul 27

Dilled Lobster, Avocado, Potato Salad                       Jul 31

Tarragon Salad                                                           Aug 1

 

 

 

Meat

 

Beef Stew                                                                   Jan 19

Bill Blass’s Meatloaf                                                    Jan 20

Meatloaf, Maple Glazed                                             Jan 21

Country Style Sausage and Fried Apples                  Feb 7

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Prunes                            Feb 11

Lemon and Ginger Pork Roast                                   Feb 12

Beef Bourguignon                                                       Feb 16

Sauteed Pork Chops                                                  Feb 21

Veal Marsala                                                               Feb 28

Saltimbocca                                                                Mar 1

Pineapple and Molasses Spareribs                            Mar 2

Roasted Pork Loin with Fig Sauce                             Mar 6

Choucroute a l’Alsacienne                                          Mar 23

Dinah Shore’s Meatloaf                                              Apr 2

Chili                                                                             Apr 7

Hot Dogs (with Pate)                                                  May 29

Zesty Pork Stir Fry                                                     Jul 11

Pork w/Bourbon Soaked Apples, Prunes                   Aug 4

Osso Buco                                                                  Aug 5

Pork Tenderloin with Apples in Cider Sauce              Aug 6

Rack of Lamb                                                             Aug 19

 

 

Chicken and Turkey

 

Chicken Cutlets                                                          Jan 25

Chicken Curry                                                            Jan 26

Chicken Stew with Italian Sausage                            Feb 1

Chicken Cacciatore                                                    Feb 25

Chicken with White Wine and Tarragon                     Feb 25

Turkey Tetrazzini                                                        Feb 27

Chicken Marsala                                                         Feb 28

How to Cook Chicken, Roasting, Poaching               Mar 9

Chicken Marengo                                                       Mar 25

Curried Chicken and Shrimp                                      Mar 26

Grilled Chicken Breasts                                              Apr 9

Perfect Roast Chicken                                               May 11

Tropical Chicken Medley                                            Jul 12

Chicken Stuff                                                              Aug 7

Turkey Tetrazzini                                                        Aug 16

 

 

Seafood

 

Curried Chicken and Shrimp                                      Mar 26

Salmon Mousse with Dill Sauce                                 Apr 9

Mussels with Parsley and Garlic                                Apr 13

Crab Imperial                                                              Apr 17

Tartar Sauce, or Remoulade                                      Apr 18

Scallops with Leeks and Pernod                                May 3

Vitello Tonato                                                              Jul 23

All About Lobster                                                         Aug 8

George Perrier’s Crab Cakes with Shrimp                 Aug 9

Poached Salmon with Tarragon Sauce                     Aug 10

 

 

 

Eggs

 

M & J Egg Casserole                                                  Feb 6

Cheese Souffle                                                           May 8

Bacon and Egg Pie                                                     May 14

Sue Ray’s Breakfast Casserole                                 May 15

Breakfast Casserole                                                   May 16

Cowboy Christmas Breakfast                                    May 17

A Simple Frittata                                                         Jun 3

About Eggs                                                                 Aug

 

Side Dishes and Vegetables

 

Corn Pudding                                                              Jan 22

Asparagus                                                                   Jan 23

Hashed Browns                                                          Feb 8

Tomato Pudding                                                         Feb 13

Haricots Verts in Mustard Sauce                                Feb 14

A Riff on Side Dishes                                                 Mar 14

Scalloped Potatoes (Gratin)                                       Mar 19

Fennel Potato Gratin                                                   Mar 19

Chunky Applesauce                                                   Mar 21

Comfort Carrots                                                          Mar 29

Barb’s Baked Mushrooms                                          Mar 30

Succotash                                                                   Mar 31

Brussels Sprouts                                                         Apr  1

Another Corn Pudding                                                Apr 12

Broiled Tomatoes                                                        Apr 15

Peperoni                                                                      Apr 20

Sweet Potato Spears, Molasses and Horseradish     Apr 23

Cooking Sweet Corn                                                  Jun 7

Fresh Peas and New Potatoes                                   Jun 10

Creamed Corn with Onions                                        Jul 1

Tomato Basil Cheese Tart                                          Jul 8

Another Tomato Tart                                                  Jul 9

Baked Lima Beans with Pears                                   Jul 14

Haricots Vert (String Beans)                                       Jul 15

Zucchini Tian with Curried Bread Crumbs                 Aug 11

Zucchini Mushroom Pasta Pie                                   Aug 15

Eggplant Souffle with Red Pepper Sauce et al.         Aug 18

Caramelized Onions                                                   Aug 20

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary                              Aug 21

Pommes Pont Neuf                                                    Aug 23

Vegetable Stripes                                                        Aug 24

 

 

 

 

 

Bread, Rice and Pasta

 

Basmati Rice (for Chicken Curry)                              Jan 28

Nann (for Chicken Curry)                                           Jan 29

Classic Macaroni and Cheese                                    Feb 17

Barb’s Mac and Cheese                                             Feb 17

Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese                                    Feb 17

Mark Bittman’s Mac and Cheese                               Feb 17

Giada de Laurentiis’s Mac and Cheese                      Feb 17

The Ultimate Mac and  Cheese                                  Feb 17

Lasagna with Sausage                                                Feb 18

Easy Cheese Lasagna (Weight Watchers)                Feb 19

Bert’s Vegetable Lasagna                                           Feb 19

Bert’s Tomato Basil Sauce                                         Feb 19

Nick and Tony’s Penne with Vodka                           Feb 22

Spaghetti Carbonara                                                   Feb 23

Noodles with Carrots and  Dill                        Mar 27

Wild Mushroom Lasagna                                            Apr 3

Pasta with Four Cheeses                                            Apr 10

Jenny’s Keugel                                                           Apr 11

Baked Rice                                                                 May 4

Pan Bagnat (sandwich)                                              Jul 5

Basic Pest Sauce, Pasta with Pesto                          Jul 18

Pasta with Broccoli                                                     Aug 12

Fettuccini Alfredo                                                        Aug 13

Fred’s Pasta with Vodka                                             Aug 14

Zucchini Mushroom Pasta Pie                                   Aug 15

 

 

Dessert

 

Macaroons with Ice Cream                                        Jan 24

Cardamom Pound Cake (for Chicken Curry)                        Jan 31

Fresh Fruit                                                                   Feb 9

Tiramisu                                                                      Feb 26

Pistachio-Crusted Cheesecake                                  Mar 18

Warm Fruit Compote                                                  Apr 4

Alexander’s Apple Cake                                             Apr 5

Apple Brown Betty                                                      Apr 6

Chocolate Amaretti Cake                                           Apr 8

Sweet Potato Pie                                                        Apr 12

Ginger Pound Cake                                                    Apr 14

Sableuse                                                                     Apr 16

Pie Crust, Foolproof                                                    Apr 21

Derby Pie                                                                    Apr 22

Grandmother’s Key Lime Pie                                     Apr 24

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart                                   Apr 25

Cherry Tortoni                                                             Apr 26

Chocolate Flan                                                            Apr 30

Pernod Flan                                                                May 1

Uncle Dutch’s Pineapple Pudding                              May 5

Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies                                   May 6

$1000 Peanut Brittle Cookies                                     May 7

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding                                          May 9

Strawberry Short Cake                                               May 12

Hummingbird Cake                                                    May 25

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies                              Jun 15

Oatmeal Pecan Cranberry Cookies                           Jun 18

Strawberries Romanoff                                              Jun 20

Summer Pudding                                                        Jun 26

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar                           Jun 28

Oranges in Marsala                                                    Jun 29

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake                               Jul 3

Chocolate Macrons                                                    Jul 10

April Fool                                                                     Jul 16

French Macaons                                                         Jul 25

Coconut Cake with Lime Filling                                  Aug 22

Basic Pate Brisee                                                       Aug 25

Toby’s Cranberry Pie                                                  Aug 26

The Best Lemon Meringue Pie Ever!                         Aug 27

Fig Tart with Lemon Mascarpone Cream                  Aug 28

Crème Anglaise                                                          Aug 29

Jo’s Pumpkin Pie                                                        Aug 30

Gertrude’s Famous Bread Pudding                            Aug 31

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies                             Sep 1

$1000 Peanut Brittle Cookies                                     Sep 2

An Easy Cheese Cak-ey Dessert                              Sep 3

Caramel Ice Cream                                                    Sep 4

Kyle’s Orange Sherbet                                               Sep 5

Chewy Caramel Pecan Bars                                      Sep 6

Rosemary Lemon Sorbet                                           Sep 7

Basil Sorbet                                                                 Sep 8

Apple Confit                                                                Sep 9

Granita (Coffee and Lemon)                                      Sep 10

Raspberry Truffles                                                      Sep 11

Barb’s Buckeyes                                                         Sep 16

 

 

 

 

Other

 

Condiments for Chicken Curry Dinner                       Jan 28

How to Hard Boil Eggs                                               Feb 6

How to Segment Fruit                                                 Feb 9

Hints for Making Brunch Easier                                 Feb 10

Giada’s Bechemal Sauce                                           Feb 17

To Do Ahead                                                               Mar 8

Mom’s Pancakes                                                        Apr 19

A Riff on a Dinner Party                                             May 24

Green Tomato Marmalade                                         Jul 17

Spiced Vinegar                                                           Jul 28

A Pause for History                                                    Jul 30

Mom’s Buckwheat Pancakes                                     Aug 17

Peach Chutney                                                           Sep 12

Phil’s Mustard                                                             Sep 13

Cranberry Orange Relish                                           Sep 14

How to Clarify Butter                                                  Sep 18

An Easy Method for Polishing Silver                          Sep 19