




This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste. I have known people to skip the pasta and eat the sauce directly out of the pot with a spoon.
Reprinted with permission from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Copyright 1992 by Marcella Hazan. Published by Knopf.
Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomato. Stir from time to time, mashing any large piece of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan.
May be frozen when done. Discard the onion before freezing.
Recommended pasta: This is an unsurpassed sauce for Potato Gnocchi, but it is also delicious with spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tomato-sauce-onion-and-butter
Risotto. Creamy rice, a splash of wine, a big dollop of butter, and cheese, glorious cheese. What’s not to love about a dish like that? The infernal stirring, that’s what. It’s such a good, restorative, comforting dish, but really, who has the patience? Sure, it can be meditative, standing and stirring with Buddha-like calm as the wine cooks down, and ladle after ladle of broth plumps the rice. But, truly, can you give a handful of rice 30 minutes of unblinking attention while all manner of homework mayhem ignites in the other room? Here’s one way to eliminate the long stand, stir and stare: enlist your oven. Contrary to the stiff-necked (and armed) belief of cranky purists, you can bake a perfectly fine risotto. While it’s not completely stir-less, this method will cut your stove-top workout down to a couple dozen reps. And while the rice, onions and broth happily bake, you’ll have plenty of time and focus to roast asparagus with one hand, and put out homework fires with the other. And honestly, if you slipped a bit to one of those stiff-necked purists I’d bet you good money they’d never know.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
In 3.5 quart wide Dutch oven or any wide, heavy pan with lid, melt the butter over medium heat
Sauté onion until translucent and tender
Add rice, stirring occasionally, until rice is slightly toasted, about 2-4 minutes
Add garlic and salt (to taste), stirring until garlic is just fragrant, about a minute
Add the wine, and let cook for one minute
Stir in 3 cups of broth, turn up the heat to medium high, and bring to a simmer
Cover and place pot in oven.
Stir once halfway through cooking, after about 15 minutes
Cover pot again and continue to cook until the rice is tender and broth is absorbed, about 25-30 minutes
About 10 minutes before rice is done, coat asparagus pieces in the olive oil and spread on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet
Sprinkle asparagus with salt
Place asparagus in oven (along with the rice) and roast until tender (about 7-10 mins)
Remove risotto from oven
Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups warm broth, cheese, asparagus, butter pieces plus salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Serve immediately with extra grated Dubliner Cheese, if desired.
http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/baked-risotto-with-roasted-asparagus

This soup may be served either hot or cold, don’t hesitate to put in a good pinch of sugar, it brings up the flavour.
560g(1 1/4lb/3 cups) carrots, preferably organic, chopped
45g(1 1/2oz/scant 1/2 stick) butter
110g(4oz) onion, chopped
150g(5oz) potatoes, chopped
salt,freshly ground pepper and sugar
sprig of spearmint
1.2litres (2 pints/5 cups) homemade light chicken or vegetable stock
62ml(2 1/2fl oz/generous 1/4 cup) creamy milk, (optional)
3 teaspoons freshly chopped spearmint
Garnish
a little lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche
sprigs of spearmint
Melt the butter and when it foams add the chopped vegetables, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sugar. Add a sprig of mint, cover with a butter paper (to retain the steam) and a tight fitting lid.Leave to sweat gently on a low heat for about 10 minutes approx.Remove the lid, add the boiling stock and cook until the vegetables are soft. Pour into the liquidiser, add 3 teaspoons of freshly chopped mint and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Adda little creamy milk if necessary.
Garnish with a swirl of lightly whipped cream or crème frâiche and a sprig of fresh mint.
Substitute lovage for mint in the above recipe.
Add finely chopped garlic chives instead of mint in the master recipe. Garnish with a swirl of lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche,garlic chive flowers and seeds. Society garlic flowers are also great.
