Tomato Red Sauce with Meat Balls

This is the very basic way of making home-made red (tomato) sauce for stocking. In order to feed my Italian descent husband, I make a batch of red sauce bi-weekly, usually on Sunday (so called Sunday sauce). We'd eat freshly made sauce with meatball over spaghetti or ravioli. Then I separate the left-over meatballs from sauce. I keep a jar of sauce in a fridge, and another jar in a freezer. A jar stored in a fridge can be used for a quick pasta dish during the week. The left-over meatballs can be used to make meatball sandwich for lunch. I sometime add italian sausage, chicken on bones, or pork ribs to the sauce to give a richer flavor. Ideally, you want to cook the sauce at least 3 hours.

The"Red Sauce" ~ basic tomato sauce 

• 3 large cans of peeled tomatoes (I used 3-35oz cans)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, shredded or grated
• 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• a few bay leaves
• about 1/5 a can of water, to clean the inside of each can and add it to the sauce
• Red wine (optional)

Meatballs 

• 1lb ground meat (I used pork, beef, veal mix)
• 1 egg
• bread crumb
• milk
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• dried oregano
• nutmeg
• dried red pepper 
• black pepper and salt
• a dash of worcestershire sauce
• grated parmesan cheese

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to make about 10 servings

1. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté chopped garlic and onion in low/med heat. 
2. When onion looks golden and fragrant, add carrots and bay leaves, cook for few more minutes.
3. Open cans and add all the contents to the pot, clean the inside of each can with water, and add it to the pot as well. Bring it to boil with high heat, uncovered.
4. Once boiling, scoop out the foamy scums on the surface, lower the heat.
5. After 30 min of so, smash the tomatoes with potato masher, continue cooking in low heat.
6. Make meatballs - In a large bowl, let the bread crumbs soak in cold milk. When the bread crumbs get fluffy, add the rest of ingredients, mix well until it gets sticky. Let it sit.
7. After 1-2 hours, throw in meatballs, cook another 1 hour or so. Add red wine. (optional)
8. When the sauce reaches to your preferable thickness, stop the heat and serve over your favorite pasta, topped with chopped fresh parsley or basil, and grated parmesan cheese. 

You can use the red/tomato sauce to make dishes like:

• pizza 
• tortilla soup
• chili con carne
• lasagna

Marinated Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

I almost never cook steak at home, but this is the only option. Skirt steak is a part of beef that is relatively thin, easy-to-cook, yet is as flavorful as some of more expensive cuts. Chimichurri sauce is an Argentinean condiment which consists of olive oil, parsley and oregano. It goes perfectly with a juicy skirt steak and is a healthier way to eat steak with.

Marinated Skirt Steak 

• 1lb of skirt steak
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 cloves garlic, grated
• salt and pepper
• a wedge of lemon or lime juice

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makes 2-3 servings

1. Season steak with a pinch of salt & pepper on each side, grate garlic over the meat, pour soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, flip the meat and marinate each side. Refrigerate the steak for at least 2 and up to 4 hours.
2. Once the steak has finished marinating, remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (for about 30 minutes).
3. When ready to cook the steaks, prepare your grill for grilling.
4. Grill the steak over medium-high heat till the edge looks shrunk/crispy (4-6 mins), flip over, cook till the meat feels firm and thickened (4-6 mins)  to serve it rare to medium-rare.
5. Once cooked, lay the steak on a clean cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to let the meat redistribute its juices.
6. Serve with chimichurri sauce and a wedge of lime or lemon.

Chimichurri Sauce

• 1 1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley and/or fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves (or 4 teaspoons dried oregano)
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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makes about one cup

1. Pulse the garlic and shallot in the food processor until finely chopped. 
2. Add the rest of ingredients in processor, puree them. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Note: 

You can simply chop all the vegetable finely with a knife, if not using food processor. It'll give you a more earthy flavor.

The left-over chimichurri sauce can be packed in a small ziploc bag and be frozen for a later use. If kept in a fridge, use them up in a few weeks.  Some ideas for alternative use include omelettes, quesadillas, or on other grilled meat dishes.

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

A simple supper that's ready in 30 minutes.  Refreshing sun-dried tomato and green herbs works great with the rich flavor of Italian sausages.

 Fusilli Corti Bucati with Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2/3 box of pasta of your choice ( I used Fusilli Corti Bucati this time, farfalle will work well, too. )
4 or 5 links of sweet Italian sausage or broccoli rabe sausage
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
6-7 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
a handful of chopped basil or Italian parsley
crushed red petter
white wine or sake
truffle oil
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makes about 3 servings

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While you wait for the water to boil, chop all vegetables. Take sausage meat out of casings, heat a pan or thick bottomed pot (I use le creuset pot). Once hot, oil the surface, cook garlic in low/medium heat until fragrant, add sausage and brown them. Add onion and sauté them together. Throw in crushed red pepper and sun-dried tomato, drizzle some white wine or sake, cook them covered for a while.
Once pasta is ready, drain the pasta, toss them with sausages, drizzle some truffle oil, add basil, mix together.  Serve. Sprinkle generous amount of parmesan cheese.

Bratwurst dinner

This is my nice n easy, weekday-night German style supper. Sip a beer while you cook, dip a sausageinto a mustard of your choice.

Brown the surface of bratwurst crispy in Le Creuset pot, take them out, then throw in chopped garlic, onion, shiitake mushroom.  Saute until they smell nicely.  Add washed and drained sauerkraut, shredded apple. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and caraway seeds.  Add chicken broth, bring them to simmer. Add browned sausage back in, cook for about 30 minutes.

Make the potato salad while you wait.

Highlights:  Definitely the sauerkraut.  Tasty and healthy. You can get creative on this. Make a batch, and you're set for a week. Great with beer.