simple, hearty, delish: Gnocchi Marinara

Gnocchi Marinara

I was feeling really tired after work last night, So I’ll admit, I took a shortcut. I used premade Gnocchi. But the sauce was homemade!(forgive me?)
So here’s the recipe to a hearty marinara meat sauce.

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground turkey meat

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 can of whole tomatoes

1 can of tomato puree

1 clove of garlic

1/2 white onion

Marshalls Creek Spices Oregano

Marshalls Creek Spices Basil

Marshalls Creek Spices Kosher Salt

Marshalls Creek Spices Black Pepper

1 packet of Smoked Turkey Bacon

Grated Parmesan cheese
STEPS:

pour the three cans of tomatoes into a pot and put it on the stove on medium high heat (If your temperature gauge goes up to 10, put it on 6/7.)

Peel, clean and chop the clove of garlic into coarse pieces the size of m&ms. Do the same with the half of onion and toss it into the sauce. Add 1 Tablespoon of Basil, 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1/2 Tablespoon of black pepper, 2 teaspoon of salt, and 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan.

Let the sauce cook for anywhere from five to 20 minutes, uncovered. The reason we don’t cover it, is because we want it to reduce a bit, as there is extra liquid in the whole canned tomatoes, and we don’t want our marinara sauce to be watery.

After the sauce has reduced sufficiently, use a potato masher to crush the whole tomatoes and bring the whole sauce to a nice chunky consistency. At this point you can add the pound of turkey meat and cook it for another 10 minutes, or until the turkey meat is cooked.

**something to try is to caramelize the onion in the oven, by chopping it up, tossing it in oil, throwing it in a pan, covering it with aluminum foil, and then cooking it for 25 to 45 minutes on 425 degrees until it is caramelized, before throwing it into the sauce. (45 minutes is on the extreme end, and I only mention it because your oven may not be as hot as mine)**

If you have a convection toaster oven, turn it to broil. If not, you can use the stove top, or as a last resort, your actual oven (although its completely unnecessary to generate so much heat in your house just to cook two strips of diced turkey bacon). Take the turkey bacon, cut it into 1/2 inch strips, lengthwise, and then 1/2 inch strips width-wise, spread it out on a cooking sheet, and throw it in the convection oven, close to the top heat coil. Leave it to broil until it goes from its natural color, to a much darker, twilight version. it may look caramelized, browned, and crunchy; that’s perfect. If you’re cooking it on top of the stove in a pan, cook it the same way you would cook regular diced bacon. Once its done, sprinkle the turkey bacon over the top of the dish before you bring it to the table, with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

The supermarket is super big, super confusing, and super expensive. But just remember, supermarkets are businesses, and through competitive advantage, supermarkets have worked really hard to make the supermarket a really easy place to shop.

The first thing to notice is the aisle numbers. Next to each aisle is a small list of types of items in that aisle. The second thing to notice is the cashiers and employees in vests. These employees know where everything is because it is their mind-numbing job to clean up after all of the hopeless shoppers who walk around the supermarket littering aisles with debris of indecisions and waste, returning the bag of chocolate chips that someone left next to the soap to its proper place.

The next thing to remember is the man or woman who works the deli counter, the fish counter, and the meat counter. These people know their product, and if you produce a friendly smile and a grocery list to them, they will be sure to help.

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck and your staring dead-panned at two bags of flour, one which is $10 and the other is $7.75, go for the prettier one. No i’m kidding but seriously its not that important. The ingredient list is obviously important, but unless youre looking for specific ingredients, don’t add the hassle. just remember, price divided by weight gives you the amount per weight unit. For instance, one bag of flour is 10 ounces for $10. 10/10 is $1 per ounce. The other bag is $7.75 for 6.5 ounces. $7.75/6.5 is $1.19 per ounce of flour. The 10 dollar bag is a better deal.

Sometimes you don’t have much storage space, and you will prefer to pay more money for less product if it means less clutter at home. That is okay, go for it. Splurge. Treat yo self.

Nonstick, teflon, copper bottomed, steel and aluminum. What does it all mean?

NOTHING. IGNORE IT. Unless you’re cooking for your career, ignore all the hubbub and mishegas of the pan economy. All you need for home cooking are the following:
1. an egg pan

2. A saute pan

3. A pasta pot

4. A Wok

5. A frying pan

An egg pan is  a small nonstick pan for cooking eggs. It has tapered sides and is really a one-of-a-king requirement for a kitchen. It is definitely possible and doable to cook eggs in regular pans, but as a homecook, a non-stick egg pan is what you want. Just remember, not all non-stick pans are egg pans. Egg pans are usually no more than 6 or 7 inches in diameter.

A Saute pan and  a frying pan are similar. They are both around 12 inches in diameter and they both have flat bottoms. They look like the bigger brother of an egg pan. The difference between a saute pan and a frying pan is that a saute pan has straight sides which gives it a depth of anywhere from 2 to 4 inches. A frying pan has rounded edges so that things can slosh around in the pan and roll out of the sides if you tilt the pan. A saute pan is used for things that will be simmering slowly and also be cooking quickly. High heat and medium and heat are where these babies work best.

As for a frying pan, crank the heat up all the way. Its a one-and-done quick rinse pan for speed.

When I call something a pasta pot, what I am referring to is a tall sided, flat bottomed pot with two handles on either side near the rim. A pasta pot can be anywhere from 12 inches wide and 12 inches tall to 20 inches wide and 30 inches tall. They can hold anywhere from 6 quarts to 20 quarts, and are useful for soups and – you guessed it – boiling water for pasta.
I included a Wok on the must have list just because if you are someone who likes to cook certain dishes, using another pan to replace a wok is going to make your day a hell of a lot harder. This is definitely a place to splurge and save yourself some headache.

Sweet And Savory Honey Mustard Chicken Stew: 15 minutes to dinner.

 

This is one of my family’s favorite quick-finish dinner delish. It really is one tasty dish. Its a short list of ingredients, and an even shorter list of directions, so lets dive right into it.

Ingredients:

• 2 thick chicken breasts
• 1 big potato or 2 medium potatoes
• Marshall’s Creek Spices Paprika lemon & Lime Spice boquet
• Marshall’s Creek Spices Arrowroot
• peanut oil
• 1 cup of Barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade.
• 1/2 cup honey Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup Marshall’s Creek Spices Raw Pure Honey
• frozen or canned sweet corn and green peas. (any precooked frozen or canned vegetables that you’d like, really)

Steps:

1. in a bowl, combine 1 cup of your preferred barbecue sauce with 1/2 cup of honey Dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup Marshall’s Creek Spices Raw Pure Honey. leave the bowl on the side, you’re going to need it for step 7.
2. Cut the Chicken Breasts into strips about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide, and then cut those strips in half, width wise.
3. put the chicken strips in a bowl, and sprinkle with arrowroot. and then sprinkle with Paprika Lemon & Lime until the chicken is very well coated. Essentially, you want a dusting of arrowroot over the chicken. Don’t add too much or your end result stew will be gummy, rather then smooth. For this step, Its better to be safe than sorry, and not adding enough is better than adding to much.
4. heat up peanut oil in a pan, about 2 tablespoons, to a medium high heat, and brown/sear the chicken pieces.
5. I like to use parboil potatoes to save time when i’m making this dish. I take a fresh potato, slice it in half, and then slice that half into wedges, and put the potato in the microwave with a little bit of water in a covered container for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. when the potatoes come out of the microwave, throw them in the pan with the chicken, adding oil as needed to prevent sticking. Toss the potatoes and chicken and continue browning.
7. take that bowl of sauce from step one, and pour it into the pan. Add as much peas and corn as you want, and give the pan a real good toss with your wooden spoon.
8. Make sure no chicken or potatoes are still stuck to the bottom of the pan, because the last step is to cover the pan and let the stew simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. *Add chicken stock as you see fit if you want a thinner stew consistency. I personally add about 1/4 cup of chicken stock, but its not imperative that you do.
9. Enjoy!

Cooking for more than one person is as easy as portion sizes…which actually looking at most restaurants in America, is much harder than you think. First and foremost, too much food is always better than too little food. Second, if you have a budget, don’t be afraid to follow the budget, no one is going to end a friendship or relationship with you because you budgeted. And if they do, screw em. People love food and when they’re hungry, they just want to eat, so don’t worry about all the other aspects . Shit, when I’m hungry I’ll eat a rubber shoe.

Always remember, a persons entire meal should be around 10 ounces. Why 10 ounces? well 10 ounces plus whatever you drink with your food ends up being over 16 ounces, and 16 ounces is a pound. Don’t think a pound is good enough for a meal? Well then we’ve got bigger fish to fry, like your diet planning.

So if you are making one dish, expect to make 10 ounces of dish per person. If you are making two dishes, make 6 ounces per person of each dish.

Why 6 and not 5? Two reasons, reason one is I effing love leftovers. Reason two is sometimes everyone wants to eat the same dish and will go back for seconds. That extra ounce per person provides both wiggle room and flexibility.

As this continues, 3 dishes – make 4 ounces per person per dish. If you end up making 6 or 7 dishes. well I’m sure you’re already comfortable serving multiple people and don’t need to read this specific post anymore.

Simmering, bubbling, boiling, rolling boil, steaming. These words mean nothing to you. And they are the road block that is preventing you from following even the simplest recipe. So let’s begin by removing these roadblocks.

Scientifically, water boils at 212 * fahrenheit, which is the same as 100* celsius.

Nonscientifically, water boils when it is really hot. When water is not really hot, but is just hot, it is simmering. When water is really, really hot, it will come to a rolling boil. And when the water is super hot, it will start to evaporate and release steam (Steaming.)

Simply put, simmering means bead-sized bubbles travelling to the surface of the water anywhere in the pot – emphasis on travelling – because when you pour water in the pot, there will be air bubbles sticking to the side of the pot even when the water is cold. Bubbling means dime sized bubbles doing the same thing, and a rolling boil means the water looks like a sea monster about to submerge from the murky depths in a b-level sci-fi movie. Steaming is a phrase used to refer to the hot evaporated water air above the water level that is used to cook usually vegetables through the process of slow wet heat.

To be honest, right now Us  is really just me. But one day soon I hope to bring many, many more people into the works.

My name is Ross and I am a Chef. I’ve been in the industry since the beginning of high school. Cooking is my passion, and it brings a smile to my face every day. I’ve been a butcher, I’ve been a dishwasher, i’ve filled every position all the way up to sous chef. I was always told I had so much potential, and could do anything I set my mind to. But it was cooking that provided everything I needed. The immediate gratification from sending out a dish hundreds of times a night, and the long-term gratification from running a successful kitchen. The creativity  of plating and tasting and flavor-profiling, and the organized consistency of running a tight, strong and successful kitchen. My parents sell spices, and I’m sure that had something to do with my love for food, that’s too big to just be a coincidence. However, not everyone is as infatuated with the culinary arts as me. I know this because my cousin cannot even make spaghetti and tomato sauce – when the tomato sauce comes out of a jar.  I do not think that cooking requires anything special. Cooking is as simple as reading, learning, experiencing and tasting. I’ve burnt my fair share of dishes, over seasoned plates, and ruined meals – but now I can bang out a 25 person dinner from start to finish, planning to shopping to prepping to cooking to clean up, all in one day. Anyone can cook, and everyone should. I’m here to provide that stepping stone, that mentor-mentee relationship, a virtual apprenticeship of sorts, and a digital handbook that you can reference for the smallest of questions, like “what does simmering ACTUALLY mean” , or even bigger questions, like “My mother used to make this dish with pastina and cheese and I have no idea what it is called, but I absolutely want to make it for my wife, she is so sick and I know it would make her feel better.”
So the rambling is over and the cooking is ready to begin. See you in the kitchen!

Hello and welcome to your one stop-shop for everything cooking, eating and burning related. Are you afraid of cooking pasta? Do you find it hard to put together a bowl of cereal? Is Beef Wellington just a tad out of your skill range? If you’re in search of knowledge on the best knives for amateurs, or what the difference is between gluten free and organic, or even how many pounds of turkey you need to feed four or eight people, then this is the place for you. At Anyone Can Cook, not only is everyone welcome, but the people who find themselves to be culinarily challenged are encouraged to visit. Ask questions, post comments, and be comfortable knowing that everyone else on this website is just as inept as you, (except for me, of course).

 

We, together, will learn to cook and provide meals for ourselves and others, and in the process we will save money and time, reduce waste and refuse, and learn a little bit more about sustaining ourselves. Cooking is a wonderful skill to have; it can woo your date, teach your children about respecting the world around them, act as a catalyst for interactions in all different settings, be a point of conversation, and become a cathartic activity.

So with no further ado, lets begin!

 

**Don’t forget to visit the section titled Your favorite recipes to submit any questions, dishes, or recipes that you would like me to cover in a post. I will teach you how to cook that dish you had one time that you can never forget, or we can walk through together a family recipe that you want to really ace for the next holiday party but have never made before.