Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple pasta has the makings of a great family meal that will appeal to young and old alike. The dish has three basic elements; pasta, a rich tomato sauce and cheese. The sauce can be quickly made from canned or fresh tomatoes and the cheese can be served on the side or folded into the marinara if you want a creamy sauce. This is a perfect dish to serve on a busy school night. It can be made in stages. The tomato sauce, which freezes well, can be made days before its needed and rewarmed when you are ready to use it. For reasons that still elude me, cooks back in the 50's and 60's thought marinara sauce had to simmer for hours before it could be served. Imagine the looks on their faces if they were to learn that these days we make it in 20 minutes. Would they call that progress? I love the appearance of this dish. It has a spare elegance that I find appealing. The dish also makes me smile. When my children were quite young they called spaghetti worms and rigatoni whistles. I wonder if the food mainstream is ready for a dish called Whistles in Red Sauce. This basic tomato sauce is the one that introduced most of us to Italian cooking and I think we still love its simplicity. I hope those of you who make this recipe, which was found in a special issue of Gourmet, will enjoy your own walk down memory lane. Here's their recipe for Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce.

Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the special publication, Gourmet Easy Dinners.

Ingredients:
3 pounds fresh plum tomatoes or 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
2 large garlic cloves, crushed with side of a large heavy knife
Pinch of hot red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/4 tsp salt
4 fresh basil leaves, torn into bits
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup ricotta (about 8-ounces; preferably fresh)
Grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:
1) If using fresh tomatoes, cut a shallow X in bottom of each with a paring knife and blanch tomatoes in 3 batches in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling water, 1 minute per batch. Transfer blanched tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel, beginning from scored end, with knife, then halve lengthwise and seed. Chop tomatoes (fresh or canned), reserving juice (from cutting board or can).
2) Cook garlic and red-pepper flakes in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Discard garlic, then add tomatoes with their juice and salt and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and salt to taste.
3) Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of well salted boiling water, uncovered, until al dente, then drain in a colander.
4) Toss pasta with warm marinara sauce in a large bowl. Serve with ricotta and grated Pecorino Romano. Yield: 4 servings.

Cooks’ Notes: Sauce can be made ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered, up to 5 days or frozen in an airtight container for 2 months.

If using canned tomatoes, whose sodium content varies, use only 1/4 teaspoon salt then season your finished sauce with additional salt if desired.

One Year Ago Today: Elastic Ice Cream - Turkish Dondurma

Two Years Ago Today: Tomato Jam

Three Years Ago Today: Mile High Apple Pie with Cranberries

Chicken Gumbo - Filé Gumbo

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had a small, surprising triumph tonight. Before going any further, I want to extend an apology to any of my Southern friends who might find my victory lap or bow a bit premature. I stepped into their territory, if not their kitchens, and made gumbo tonight. Despite my years in the kitchen, this was a first for me. I love gumbo, but I found the making of roux off-putting. Armed with great directions, which you can find here, I decided to give it a try and I think I did alright. I made minor alterations to a recipe developed by Emeril Lagasse and was really pleased with the results. My only caution is that you need time to make this. It really is not difficult to prepare, but it needs watching and some of its elements take longer to cook than the recipe would have you believe. Most significantly, it took an hour, rather than 20 minutes, for my roux to become the color of chocolate. The trick is to get it to that chocolate color without burning the roux. If it burns you'll have to toss it. Despite that, I highly recommend this gumbo and hope you will try it. Here's the recipe.


Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with White Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon filé powder (ground sassafras leaves)- see Cook's Note
.
Cooked white rice
Hot sauce

Directions:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy pot set over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper toweling. Set aside.
2) Season chicken with Creole seasoning. Brown, in batches, using pot in which sausage was cooked. Remove from pan. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
3) Add flour and reserved 1/2 cup oil to pan in which chicken and sausage browned. Cook, stirring slowly, for 20 to 25 minutes to make a chocolate colored roux. I had to cook mine for an hour to achieve this color.
4) Add onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add reserved sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring, slowly, add chicken stock, and cook, stirring, until well combined. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
5) Add reserved chicken to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to surface.
6) Remove pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard bay leaves. Pull chicken meat from bones and shred, discarding bones. Return meat to gumbo and stir in the green onions, parsley, and filé powder.
7) Spoon rice into bottom of deep bowls or large cups and ladle gumbo on top. Serve with hot sauce if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Cook's Note: File powder has a very earthy flavor that tastes like a combination of thyme and savory. It can be found in the spice aisle of large food chains. The powder comes from grinding dried sassafras leaves. If you would like to make your own filé powder, instructions can be found here. Filé powder is added at the end of cooking to thicken the gumbo. To add it sooner can cause the gumbo to become stringy. It can also be passed and added at the table.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo - The Bake-Off Flunkie
Chicken Gumbo - Louanne's Kitchen
Quick and Easy Sausage and Okra Gumbo - Sing for Your Supper
Shrimp and Okra Gumbo - Felice in the Kitchen
Pancetta and Shrimp Gumbo - Chow and Chatter
Cajun Gumbo Soup - The Teacher Cooks

Smothered Eggs in Spoonbread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Curiosity and experimentation led me to the version of the recipe you see today. I'm the child of died in the wool Yankees, so it should come as no surprise to hear that I was nearly 40 before spoonbread crossed my lips. Sad to say, it was not love at first bite. Spoonbread, for those unfamiliar with it, is a bit like a pudding or souffle made with cornmeal. While I liked the texture, I thought it was very bland and didn't bother with it for another 20 years. I revisited it because I was looking for new ways to serve baked eggs and thought spoonbread might work if the ingredients could be revved up. That can sometime be dangerous, especially if you're working on recipes for breakfast or brunch. I think I finally have the right balance for this one. It's perfect for a holiday brunch or breakfast in bed. I've added andouille sausage and red pepper flakes so this is definitely spoonbread with an attitude. If you'd like to try something different for a change, I recommend this. I've scaled the recipe for two but it can be doubled if need be. One caution, don't overcook these. You want the egg set but not hard cooked and the center of the spoonbread should be pudding moist. Here's the recipe.

Smothered Eggs in Spoonbread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Jesse Ziff Cool

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup coarse cornmeal
4 eggs, divided use
1/4 cup butter, divided use
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces Andouille, cut in 1/2-inch dice
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease two (2-cup) ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter. Set aside.
2) Combine water, salt, sugar and cornmeal in a medium saucepan. Gradually bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until cornmeal thickens. Add 3 tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
3) Separate two eggs. Add yolks to milk. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Fold in sausage and onions and let cool for 15 minutes. Add baking powder, thyme and pepper flakes. Mix well.
4) Meanwhile beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold whites, one third at a time into cornmeal mixture.
5) Spoon half of batter into ramekins. Crack an egg in center of each one. Spread remaining batter over eggs but do not cover them completely. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until egg white is firm and yolk cooked. Serve hot. Yield: 2 servings.