MARSALA SAUCE WITH A TWEAK

This Marsala sauce might be one of the best things I have made in quite a while. It was just so delicious, I felt I really needed to share this. I know Marsala sauce is usually served atop chicken or veal, but I love it on pastas, ravioli, or agnolotti. It is very simple to make and requires barely any preparation. I am actually certain you will thoroughly enjoy this.

I add basil to the Marsala sauce, though it isn't part of the traditional recipe. Trust me, you won't regret it. It is such a wonderful addition and adds a quiet yet savoury flavour to the sauce that is just wonderful.

4 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup onions, diced

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

about 10 white mushrooms, unstemmed and sliced

3 tbs all purpose flour

8-12 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

2 tbs butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup marsala wine, or white wine

1 1/2-3/4 cup beef stock

salt and pepper to taste (though you will need more salt)

Heat olive oil in a saucepan on med to med hi and add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are tender, but take care not to burn the onions or garlic. (This should take a few minutes)

Next, sprinkle the flour over the contents of the saucepan, mix so all contents are coated, and cook for another minute or so. The flour will serve to soak in flavour as well as thicken the sauce.

Next add the wine, beef stock, and butter and stir. Reduce heat to a setting between med-low and med, depending on how strong your burner is. Once the butter has melted, add basil. Add the salt and pepper and allow to reduce until the sauce has thickened enough to thinly coat a spoon. If the sauce is not thickening, add a tad more flour, but do so slowly, because a little makes a big difference.

Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and serve over pasta or meat.

Enjoy!

VERY EASY GARLIC BUTTER

I love garlic butter. Most people simply spread it onto a crusty focaccia or fluffy baguette, but you can also toss some in with plain pasta and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top, and you have wonderfully flavoured, yet simple meal. It can also be used to flavour chicken or fish dishes.

Recipe for every two tbs of butter/margarine. I apologize for such small serving sizes, but when

I cook, it's usually in small portions, so you have to do the math.

2 tbs of margarine of butter

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 clove of garlic, minced

Thoroughly mix all ingredients above with a spoon in a cup-sized bowl. This is easier when using margarine simply because it mixes so easily. If you choose to use butter, simply melt it for 10 to 15 seconds, mix with the remainder of the ingredients, and toss back into the fridge for it to solidify.

SIMPLE BRUSCETTA

2 field tomatoes, diced

1/2 a small white onion, diced

5 basil leaves, sliced or torn roughly

1 pinch of dried parsley, you can use fresh parsley if you have some handy

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp parmesan cheese

1 dash of garlic salt or granulated garlic

2 to 3 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

All there is to it is mixing the ingredients above! It makes a wonderful topper on sliced baguette or olive loaf.

I personally prefer to slice the bread, top it with mozzarella and feta for a tangy flavour, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese melts and the bread toasts. Then, I take them out and top them with the mix, so that it stays nice and fresh.

Let me know what you think!

THE FIRST ONE

To say it plainly, I love food. I love to cook and so I'm going to write about it. I've always had this dream of sorts that I would write a recipe book, and this might be a step in that direction. I'm not really sure what this blog will turn out to be, but I hope you enjoy what I have to say.