Jersey Style Pizza Sauce.

Rich, delicious, and best of all... easy.

Growing up in South Jersey near the shore, pizza was something we always took for granted. Go to the mall, grab a slice, and hang out. Or walking along the boardwalk with one of those massive slices from the three foot wide pizzas on display. It never occurred to me that what I enjoyed was unique to the Tri-State area.

I found out soon enough. Most of the towns in other states only had chain pizza places, if they had pizza at all. In Germany, I was introduced to the crispy thin crust of the pizzeria outside our base. They were great- and even threw chopped garlic on it before baking - but it wasn't home.

I began looking for ways to duplicate the taste of home. I managed to get the crust right, but I needed the sauce as well. Something with a rich flavor, earthy sweetness, and just a little bite. After much digging and trial and error, I finally created my own version. Some of the techniques are borrowed, but the result is unique. You can use it for pizza, calzones, (or as they call them here, panzerottis,) strombolis, basically anything that has a bread base and is covered with toppings. Try it. You will definitely love it.

You'll need:
Either - 1 28 oz can of crush tomatoes, or 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes and 4-6 fresh tomatoes, puréed
1 large or 2 medium onions,cut in half
3 cloves of crushed garlic
2-3 sprigs of fresh basil
Kosher salt
1 tsp. oregano
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. butter
2 tbsp or so olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes



In a medium sauce pan, warm oil and butter over medium heat. Once heated, add garlic stir for about three seconds, and add tomatoes, oregano, a dash of salt, the sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir until seasonings are blended in, then add the onion halves and basil, as pictured below:

Just the beginning of something great. (Yeah I posed the basil a bit.) 

Reduce heat and simmer, checking and stirring, ensuring the sauce doesn't stick and the onions don't caramelize ( it changes the color and flavor of the sauce... and not too favorably.) Taste along the way - adjust a little if need be, and if you find it too thick, thin it a little with broth (your choice) or tomato juice. Don't think there's enough basil? Add a little dried. It works in a pinch.

Almost ready...

After about an hour and a half the sauce will slowly render down and thicken to the perfect pizza sauce. At that point, remove the sprigs and onions and discard them. Turn off the heat, stir, and let cool a little before putting it onto your fresh dough. Enjoy!

Home made stromboli, using both my dough and sauce.

Jersey Style Marinara Sauce.

In the pot, just bubbling along.

Italian cooking, which is my favorite by far, is also one of the the richest in variety of flavor, despite the same basic components in many dishes. A line like this can be drawn in the various sauces that are used to complement pastas and such.

One particular distinction, and if you've ever lived in New York or New Jersey, you've heard it - sauce vs. gravy. Most of us think, gravy? Isn't that what they put on turkey or mashed potatoes? Nah. Not this time.

From the way it was explained to me, the difference is that gravy is what most would consider to be a meat sauce, with things like pork and veal as the base and cooked with tomatoes and other traditional ingredients all day. So in a way, it kind of is a gravy. A tradition. (I have my own take on that - another day.)

Another tradition is the tomato based marinara. They all pretty much start with the same base: tomato, olive oil, and basil. There are many incarnations of it, as each region, each family  has their own way of doing things. This is mine. I like to use as many fresh tomatoes as possible, even if they're a little overripe. All the better. This marinara is good for a simple pasta, or as a component of things like lasagna or stuffed shells.

For my version, you'll need:

1 large or 2 medium chopped onions
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
4-6 tbsp fresh basil
2-3 lbs. of  chopped fresh tomatoes,
or 1 can each stewed or crushed tomatoes
or a combination of both
1 cup port wine
olive oil
1 tbsp sea or kosher salt
1 bay leaf

(optional: 1 tbsp each fresh chopped oregano and/or parsley)
Also, keep a box of chicken or vegetable broth on hand.

Heat some olive oil (about 2-3 tbsp.) in a stockpot. Add garlic and onions, saute until onions are slightly opaque. Add tomatoes and  wine, cook at low-medium heat until bubbling slightly and tomatoes cook down a bit. Take an immersion blender and blend intermittently, only enough to break the tomatoes down further. Add the bay leaf, salt, and basil. If you're using the optional ingredients, add them now as well.

Simmer for an hour or two, stirring regularly. Let the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce. If it renders too much, add an occasional splash of broth. Don't waste your time with water. If you like, you can also add another tbsp. or two of basil in the last few minutes for additional fragrance and flavor.

My home made stuffed shells with the marinara. Bellissimo!

Make up your favorite pasta dish and add your marinara ( as you can see, I used it in my own take on stuffed shells. Absolutely delicious! )

Kim's Cilantro Lime Sauce

A simple, delicious sauce that that minutes to make.

A while back Kim, my lovely wife, and I decided to make fish tacos. Problem was, we weren't too sure about what we wanted to put on them. I came up with a wonderful slaw, but we needed something else to bring it to life. After a quick look in the fridge, we found what we needed and this was the result.

The beauty of the recipe is its flexibility. Not only is it great on fish tacos, but it's perfect for regular ones as well. You can use it as a dipping sauce for southwestern style foods, like Southwestern Spring Rolls (to be published later,) or even wings. It's amazing.

You'll need:
1/2 cup guacamole
1/2 cup sour cream (14% is best)
3-4 cloves of fresh pressed garlic
3-4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (or to taste - not everyone loves cilantro as much as Kim)
juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime
pinch of Old Bay Seasoning

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a fork or whisk and refrigerate. Allow at least 4 hours for flavors to meld, overnight if possible.
Enjoy!

My White Wine Sauce.

Looks a lot like it. But... I don't have a gas stove. Yet.

This sauce is in some of my upcoming recipes and is a versatile sauce. It's an excellent base sauce - you can add things like mushrooms, bacon, or both to it for something unique, and it stands quite well on it's own. I use it mostly for my herb stuffed chicken, but I also like to add a bit of cream to it for use in Chicken Cordon Bleu. Enjoy!

You'll need:
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup of chicken stock (keep another cup or so aside to replace while reducing.)
1/4 cup of white wine - doesn't matter what kind.
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. lime juice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tsp. chives, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
dash of salt and pepper

Melt butter in a pan. Add garlic, onion, and sugar and sauté until translucent (the sugar helps add caramelization to the onions.) Add all the remaining ingredients except the chives and and let simmer for awhile. As the moisture reduces, add a little more stock to bring it back to the desired amount. This will intensify the flavor.

Just before the sauce is ready to serve, turn up the heat to medium, and when it begins to bubble, add a mixture of one part cornstarch to three parts water, a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Add the chives, remove from heat and let sit for a moment before serving.