Dana and I love grilled steaks.  However, after a few steak dinners, it can get a little old.  The best way to spice up a steak dinner is to add a sauce to the steak.   There is nothing that compliments a great steak better than a nice mushroom sauce.  I came up with sauce after watching Dana saute up some mushrooms for her Marsala sauce.  I figured I could make a nice sauce using a similar method.  The sauce came out great and will now become a staple in the household.

Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms, garlic and onions.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and just start to brown, about 12 minutes. Don’t worry, the mushrooms will first release their liquid before the liquid is cooked out and the mushrooms fully cook.

Add the broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, roughly 12 minutes.

Stir in the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Set aside and keep warm until your steaks are ready to serve.

Serve your steaks with the sauce over them.

Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Sauce

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

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The perfect complement to a grilled steak.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• two 8-ounce packages sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small onion, minced
• ½ cup beef broth
• ½ cup red wine
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tsp fresh parsley + extra for garnish
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic and onions.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and just start to brown, about 12 minutes.
4. Add the broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, roughly 12 minutes.
5. Stir in the thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
6. Set aside and keep warm.
7. After you cook up your steak serve it with the sauce over it.

3.2.1230

This sauce is delicious and complements grilled steaks perfectly.  The best thing about this sauce is that it works great as a side too.

With a toddler running around the house Dana and I have limited time to cook.  We love lasagna, but having to haul out the giant stock pot to boil the noodles is a pain.  Besides the extra dishes, the extra time needed to boil the noodles adds precious time to our already chaotic day.  So we had high hopes when we tried out the No-Boil Lasagna noodles.  The thought of just assembling the lasagna without the hassle was too good to be true.  Or was it?

To test out the lasagna noodles we used our basic lasagna recipe and assembled it in the same way that normally do.  We made the simple substitution of the noodles.  Basic recipe.

As you can see from the photos, the lasagna was not runny or wet.  It was solid and delicious.  It had the taste of fresh lasagna with the texture of day old lasagna, it was awesome!

The noodles had great flavor, great texture and created a great lasagna.

The only issue that we discovered with the noodles was that the top layer of noodles were a little dry.  The noodle s require extra moisture and therefore you need to add a lot more sauce to the top of the lasagna than you normally would.Dana and I think that you should add an extra cup of marinara to the top of the lasagna.

We believe that these no-boil noodles are a winner.  They make lasagna easier and don’t take away from the delicious flavor of our basic lasagna.  I would totally recommend these to any person who wants to make lasagna but doesn’t have the time.

Over the off season, I decided to upgrade from the Lang 84 to a more consistent smoker.  The Lang was great, but it was a lot of work to keep the temperatures steady.  I did a bunch of research and finally settled on a gravity feed smoker.  Basically you fill up the charcoal chamber and then it auto feeds the charcoal as needed.  I ended up buying a Superior Smokers SS1.  It is a large smoker, but actually the exact size needed to do a whole competition on a single smoker.

As you can see from the pictures I have the smoker bolted onto a trailer that also includes a stainless steel prep table, sink and the all important water heater.  I set up a single EZ-Up over the whole trailer and everything needed to compete is right on the trailer.  No need to pack a car full extras.  This puppy holds it all.

I finally had a chance to break it out and set it all up at Pork in the Park in Salisbury, MD.

Pork In The Park 2013 is over and we had a so-so showing.
We finished 44th overall out of 106 teams – Not too Shabby!
Chicken 28th
Ribs 17th
Pork 73rd
Brisket 74th

Chicken and Ribs were great but unfortunately we tanked Pork and Brisket. I was surprised by Pork, as it has been our strongest category with a 160+ usually. However, I was not too surprised by the brisket, as we have never been that great at it. Haha. Need to work on that. Special thanks to Billy and Bill for helping out. Need to go back to the drawing board regarding Brisket. Hopefully it will be ready before Fredericksburg BBQ Jamboree.

So the other day I was testing out banana bread recipes and every single one came out burnt on the outside and raw in the middle.  I figured I had the wrong pan or used the wrong temperature.  Then I Googled my problem and came up with a possible error.  My oven could be off.  I never thought of testing it.  So I grabbed one of my barbecue probe thermometers and wired up my oven.  Set it 350 degrees and watched it take off.  The preheat light turned off at 415 and the oven settled in at 428 degrees.  Wow this is hot I thought. Then I researched it and it is normal for an oven to overshoot at the beginning by as much as 50 degrees.  However, it will cycle and the median temperature should be 350.  However, the coolest my oven got was 365 before reheating to over 400 degrees.  Making the median temperature around 382.  32 degrees hotter than it should be.  No wonder all of my banana breads were coming out scorched.  Thinking back on it, it would explain why my frozen pizza that should take 12-15 minutes was done in under 6 minutes.  Makes sense now.

So then I thought I might have to buy a new oven.  It sounded cool, but then I saw the price and I was like no way.  Then I did a little more research and found that you can adjust the thermostat in the oven.  It was super simple.  I have a maytag oven so basically you set it to 550 degrees then hold down the BAKE button  for 10 seconds or until 0 degrees displays.  Then you can adjust the thermostat in 5 degree increments by using the up and down buttons.  I had to adjust mine 30 degrees down.

After a another test, I found out that my high temp was 370 and my low was 330 making my median temperature right at 350.   Now it seems to bake perfect.  I will have to get that banana bread recipe up ASAP.

I never thought that the oven could cycle so much and have such varying degrees of temperatures.  I guess that is why convention ovens are so nice.  Well since my oven is on the way out, I may have to start saving up for a new one.

Stay tuned for the banana bread post.

Dana and I really love the sweet potato casserole from Ruth’s Chris.  So we scoured around to find a recipe that was similar.  We settled on a recipe, but it was way too sweet.  It was actually Tooth-aching sweet!  The sweet potatoes multiplied by the candied pecan top, was similar to the taste of the original, but way too sweet for comfort.  I could only eat a spoonful.  So we failed at the recipe first go around.  We went back to the drawing board and cut out some of the sweetness.  Here is the new and improved version.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 2.5-3 quart casserole dish.

Make 3 cups of sweet potatoes by either baking and mashing or cubing, boiling and mashing.  We peeled and cubed 5 sweet potatoes. Boiled until soft and mashed.

Combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Mix thoroughly.  We used a stand mixer to get it light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and nuts.  Mix.  Then slowly pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until combined.

Top the sweet potatoes with the sugary nut mixture.  It is noted that the images were taken during our first go around with the recipe and show more topping that you may have.  Trust me less is a good thing.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the sweet potatoes hit 165 in the center.

Let the casserole sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Casserole

 

Author:

Rex

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

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The perfect sweet potato casserole.

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Base

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes – see recipe
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 stick butter, melted

Sweet Crunchy Topping

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbs flour
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 2 tbs butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2.5-3 quart casserole dish.
2. Make 3 cups of sweet potatoes by either baking and mashing or cubing, boiling and mashing. We peeled and cubed 5 sweet potatoes. Boiled until soft and mashed.
3. Combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. We used a stand mixer to get it light and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and nuts. Mix. Then slowly pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until combined.
5. Top the sweet potatoes with the sugary nut mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the sweet potatoes hit 165 in the center. Let the casserole sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Adapted from – http://www.grouprecipes.com/82254/ruths-chris-sweet-potato-casserole.html

3.2.1230

Dana and I are getting ready for Easter and we wanted to dye some eggs.  Then we discovered that it was going to take a huge pan to hard boil all of the eggs that we wanted to dye.  So we looked for an alternative.  It just so happens that this alternative is the easiest way ever to hard boil an egg.   The best part is that it takes the boiling right out of the equation.  Place the eggs in some muffin pans and you are good to go.

Hard Boiling Eggs in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit.

Place each egg into a cup of a muffin pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Immediately remove the eggs and place into a ice bath.  Chill for 10 minutes and you are done.

Quite possibly the easiest and most fool proof way to hard boil large eggs.

These are the easiest hard boiled eggs that I have ever peeled.  The peel comes right off.  Super simple!

Possible Issue When Dyeing Eggs

The one issue when dyeing the eggs is that the eggs released some microscopic residue out of the shell during baking, which left some brown spots.  The cure is to gently wipe the eggs while they are in the ice bath.  A little water scrub cured this issue.  The eggs looked nice and bright white.

The Best Way to Hard Boil Eggs

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Hard Boiled Eggs

Serves: 12

Prep time: 1 min

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 31 mins

Print

 

Quite possibly the easiest and most fool proof way to hard boil large eggs.

Ingredients

• 12 dozen large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Place each egg into a cup of a muffin pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Immediately remove the eggs and place into a ice bath. Chill for 10 minutes and you are done.

Notes

Possible Issue When Dyeing Eggs The one issue when dyeing the eggs is that the eggs released some microscopic residue out of the shell during baking, which left some brown spots. The cure is to gently wipe the eggs while they are in the ice bath. A little water scrub cured this issue. The eggs looked nice and bright white. It is also noted that the amount of time may vary based on the size of the eggs.

3.2.1230

While I was New York I accompanied Dana’s Father to a nice market.  This market has a small wheel of Camembert cheese on sale for half off.  Yeah, I could not pass up on the offer. So I thought about making a wheel of Camembert wrapped in puff pastry.  Then Dana’s dad said that he had some fresh asparagus and it was on.  Time to make some delicious appetizers with cheese and pastry.  This recipe is short, but it packs a punch.  Especially if you serve it with nice honey mustard!

Camembert Asparagus Puffs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Thaw two sheets of puff pastry.  Then cut the pastry into 12 equal squares.  Also whisk an egg in a small bowl and set aside.

Wash and dry the asparagus spears.  Then either cut off the tips and save.  To save on some moolah you can use the whole spear cut into 1 inch sections, but I like the asparagus tips.  What can I say, they are delicious!

To form, spread out 1 square of puff pastry on a cookie sheet. Then coat the edges of the square with a light coating of the egg wash.

The place a cube of Camembert cheese and a piece of asparagus on each square.

Fold over the puff pastry and then using a fork, press the edges together to form a tight seal.

Repeat for the remaining squares.

Then using the remaining egg wash, coat the top of the pastry squares.  The egg wash will give them a rich golden color when they are done.

Place the pans in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffy and golden brown.

Remove and let cool for a couple minutes before eating.  This is an important step as the filling is like molten lava right out of the oven. No joke.  Molten lava.

Plate the puffs and serve with a nice honey mustard.

This was an awesome appetizer!  Quick, simple and delicious!

Camembert Asparagus Puffs

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 24

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Print

 

Quick cheesy pastry bites, perfect for any occasion!

Ingredients

• 1 box puff pastry (two puff pastry sheets)
• 1 small wheel Camembert cheese
• 24 Asparagus spear tips
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Thaw two sheets of puff pastry. Then cut the pastry into 12 equal squares. Also whisk an egg in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Wash and dry the asparagus spears. Then either cut off the tips and save. To save on some moolah you can use the whole spear cut into 1 inch sections, but I like the asparagus tips. What can I say, they are delicious!
4. To form, spread out 1 square of puff pastry on a cookie sheet.
5. Then coat the edges of the square with a light coating of the egg wash.
6. The place a cube of Camembert cheese and a piece of asparagus on each square.
7. Fold over the puff pastry and then using a fork, press the edges together to form a tight seal.
8. Repeat for the remaining squares.
9. Then using the remaining egg wash, coat the top of the pastry squares. The egg wash will give them a rich golden color when they are done.
10. Place the pans in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffy and golden brown.
11. Remove and let cool for a couple minutes before eating. This is an important step as the filling is like molten lava right out of the oven. No joke. Molten lava.
12. Plate the puffs and serve with a nice honey mustard.

3.1.09

After spending a week in NY, I have been craving a good marsala dish, which is another popular choice in my good old stomping grounds of Queens.  That’s the one thing I miss the most about NY….the FOOD!  So, I am forced to recreate my favorites when I am craving a certain flavor!  Rex has been more open to sharing the kitchen with me these days….and so, here we go!

I was very happy with this recipe.  My only advice when following this recipe is to let the sauce thicken up more at the tail end of the preparation.  I was a ravenous beast after cooking this meal and smelling the amazing aromas this food was giving off made me rush the ending because I was dying to dig in.  Oh, and I had a cranky baby to deal with, who was ready for bed and needed a bath.  All things considered, this was a winner of a dish and will now be a staple in our house.  I hope you enjoy it!

Dana’s Chicken Marsala

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Enough to keep the chicken warm.

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Then, boil uncovered until reduced to ¾ cup (took about 20 mins on my stovetop). Set aside.

Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Cook the shallots in 3 tablespoons of butter in the heavy skillet. Stir until the shallots begin to turn golden, about 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown (took me approx. 9 minutes, but this will vary). Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the flour to a pie plate or wide bowl. Gently pound chicken to ¼ inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat tenderizer (I halved 3 chicken breasts and pounded out the 6 pieces of chicken for this recipe).

Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Then dip each piece of chicken in the flour, make sure to shake off any excess flour and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium/high heat until the foam subsides, then saute’ 2 pieces of chicken (or however many fit in your skillet without touching) at a time. Turn each chicken breast over once, until they are golden and just cooked through. This should take approx. 4-5 minutes total once your pan is hot.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a large heatproof dish, arranging in single layer. (I use a very large Pyrex). Place the dish in the oven to keep the chicken warm. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels and cook the remaining chicken in the same manner, transferring to the platter in the oven as you are done.  Don’t wipe out the brown bits after the last batch of chicken is cooked.  You want that for the sauce.

After you are done cooking the chicken, add ½ cup of the marsala wine to the skillet you cooked the chicken in and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up the brown bits, for about 30 seconds. Add the reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer. Stir occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened (about 10 mins – I would extend this a bit, since I felt like I rushed this part and the sauce could have been thicker).

Add lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of marsala wine and ½ teaspoon sage.

Serve chicken with the sauce. You can either pour all the sauce over the chicken or reserve some sauce to pour over the chicken when serving.  We served the chicken over mashed potatoes.  It was delicious!

Enjoy, we devoured this dish!

Dana’s Chicken Marsala

 

Author:

Dana

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

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Dana’s Favorite Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups reduced sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 16 oz mushrooms (I purchase sliced mushrooms for this dish)
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage (you will use the ½ teaspoon sage at the very end of the recipe)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 pounds total of skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 3 breasts, halved them and pounded them out for 6 pieces of chicken in total)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup of dry Marsala wine and 2 tablespoons of dry marsala wine for later in the recipe (I use Holland House)
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180-200 degrees. Enough to keep the chicken warm. Put your oven rack in the center of the oven.
2. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Then, boil uncovered until reduced to ¾ cup (took about 20 mins on my stovetop). Set aside.
3. Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook the shallots in 3 tablespoons of butter in the heavy skillet. Stir until the shallots begin to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown (took me approx. 9 minutes, but this will vary). Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Add the flour to a pie plate or wide bowl. Gently pound chicken to ¼ inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat tenderizer (I halved 3 chicken breasts and pounded out the 6 pieces of chicken for this recipe).
5. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the flour, make sure to shake off any excess flour and set aside.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium/high heat until the foam subsides, then sauté 2 pieces of chicken (or however many fit in your skillet without touching) at a time. Turn each chicken breast over once, until they are golden and just cooked through. This should take approx. 4-5 minutes total once your pan is hot. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large heatproof dish, arranging in single layer. (I use a very large pyrex). Place the dish in the oven to keep the chicken warm. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels and cook the remaining chicken in the same manner, transferring to the platter in the oven as you are done.
7. After you are done cooking the chicken, add ½ cup of the marsala wine to the skillet you cooked the chicken in and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up the brown bits, for about 30 seconds. Add the reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer. Stir occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened (about 10 mins – I would extend this a bit, since I felt like I rushed this part and the sauce could have been thicker). Add lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of marsala wine and ½ teaspoon sage.
8. Serve chicken with the sauce. You can either pour all the sauce over the chicken or reserve some sauce to pour over the chicken when serving.
9. Enjoy, we devoured this dish!

Notes

Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Marsala-232152

3.1.09

The Marinara Sauce from the other day is not Bill’s only specialty. My Father-in-Law also makes a mean Shrimp Marinara. This is a simple dish that utilizes his Sunday gravy. Sauteed shrimp and garlic mixed with awesome marinara sauce makes for a great meal.

Bill’s Shrimp Marinara

Peel and de-vein the shrimp.

Make sure to keep the shrimp cold while working with them.

In a large sauce pan heat up the marinara sauce over medium heat.

Preheat 6-8 quarts of salted water in a large pot for the spaghetti.  When the pot is boiling add the spaghetti and cook according to the directions on the box. Set aside.

In a large skillet heat 3 tbs of olive oil and add the garlic.

Saute the garlic until lightly browned.

Then add the shrimp.

Cook the shrimp roughly 1.5-2 minutes on each side, or until they turn light pink.

Transfer the shrimp to the sauce pan and then allow them to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the cooked spaghetti to the pot and toss.

Once the spaghetti is coated with sauce serve.

 

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Print

 

Ingredients

• 6 cups Marinara Sauce
• 2 pounds raw shrimp
• 3 cloves garlic – finely diced
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 pound spaghetti

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan heat up the marinara sauce over medium heat.
2. Preheat 6-8 quarts of salted water in a large pot for the spaghetti. When the pot is boiling add the spaghetti and cook according to the directions on the box. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet heat 3 tbs of olive oil and add the garlic.
4. Saute the garlic until lightly browned.
5. Then add the shrimp.
6. Cook the shrimp roughly 1.5-2 minutes on each side, or until they turn light pink.
7. Transfer the shrimp to the sauce pan and then allow them to simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Add the cooked spaghetti to the pot and toss.
9. Once the spaghetti is coated with sauce serve.

3.1.09

My wife took over the blog for the day.  Here is Dana!

I am from Queens, NY and one of the main Italian cuisine staples is vodka sauce!  I wanted to make a delicious vodka sauce to celebrate our 2^nd anniversary.  We both loved this meal.  I hope you enjoy it!

Dana’s Rigatoni a La Vodka

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, sauté the onions until they are golden
brown.

On my stove, it takes about 8 ½ minutes.

After you have browned the onions, add the crushed tomatoes to the saucepan. Stir in the oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 1 hour.

About 30 minutes into the sauce simmering process, heat 4 tbsp of butter in a skillet over
medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and hot pepper flakes until the mushrooms are golden.

On my stove, it took approximately 15 mins, but this will differ for everyone.

Add the vodka slowly to the mushroom mixture and simmer for 5 minutes to cook off the
alcohol.

Add the heavy cream to the mushroom / vodka mixture and bring to a simmer (this took
approximately 5 min on my stovetop).

Pour the cream mixture into the tomato puree and stir. Keep the sauce warm while you cook
the pasta.

Add approximately 1 tbsp of kosher salt to 6 quarts of water and bring the water to a rolling

boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook uncovered until the pasta is al dente (follow the
cooking directions on your box of pasta for the al dente recommendation).

Drain the pasta well.

This step is extra – we didn’t take this step on the day we had leftovers, but we did it on the first
night – Melt the remaining 4 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Stir in the pasa to glaze and then
add the parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in the about 1/3 of the sauce with the pasta. Top each plate with some additional sauce
and pass the remaining sauce and additional cheese at the table. This last step is up to you.

We stirred in 1/3 of the sauce and added just a little bit to the top of each of our plates. We saved
the rest for leftovers!

As a NY native, I was very pleased with this recipe. It was DELICIOUS. I hope you enjoy it.

Dana’s Rigatoni a La Vodka

 

Author:

Dana

Recipe type: Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 6

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1, 28oz can crushed tomato (I used Cento)
• ⅛ tsp dried basil leaves (or you can use approx. 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped)
• 1 tsp salt (I used kosher salt)
• ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
• 8 tbsp butter (you will use 4 tbsp at a time)
• 12 oz. fresh white mushrooms, quartered, about 3 cups (next time I will use freshly sliced mushrooms)
• ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste….this was enough for me, I like things mild….my husband could use more)
• ½ cup vodka
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 ½ pounds rigatoni pasta (or you can use 1 ½ pounds penne) I like the Barilla brand
• ¼ cup dry parmesan cheese (plus additional for the table!)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, sauté the onions until they are golden
2. brown. On my stove, it takes about 8 ½ minutes. After you have browned the onions, add the
3. crushed tomatoes to the saucepan.
4. Stir in the oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 1 hour.
5. About 30 minutes into the sauce simmering process, heat 4 tbsp of butter in a skillet over
6. medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and hot pepper flakes until the mushrooms are golden.
7. On my stove, it took approximately 15 mins, but this will differ for everyone.
8. Add the vodka slowly to the mushroom mixture and simmer for 5 minutes to cook off the
9. alcohol.
10. Add the heavy cream to the mushroom / vodka mixture and bring to a simmer (this took
11. approximately 5 min on my stovetop).
12. Pour the cream mixture into the tomato puree and stir. Keep the sauce warm while you cook
13. the pasta.
14. Add approximately 1 tbsp of kosher salt to 6 quarts of water and bring the water to a rolling
15. boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook uncovered until the pasta is al dente (follow the
16. cooking directions on your box of pasta for the al dente recommendation).
17. Drain the pasta well.
18. This step is extra – we didn’t take this step on the day we had leftovers, but we did it on the first
19. night – Melt the remaining 4 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Stir in the pasta to glaze and then
20. add the parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.
21. Stir in the about ⅓ of the sauce with the pasta. Top each plate with some additional sauce
22. and pass the remaining sauce and additional cheese at the table. This last step is up to you. We
23. stirred in ⅓ of the sauce and added just a little bit to the top of each of our plates. We saved
24. the rest for leftovers!

Notes

Adapted from food.com

3.1.09