Marinara aka Sunday Gravy

I had been waiting for a cold rainy to whip up a batch of long simmered marinara and I got it last weekend.  Marinara makes an excellent plannedover if you have a bit of extra freezer space in which to house it.  Having on hand said marinara that has been slow simmered, can elevate any meal into something extraordinary, and if you’re going to cook something that is going to take you  several hours- you might as well make a boatload of it so you don’t have to do it very often!

I use this for pasta, lasagna, ziti, it even is the base sauce for my infamous grilled pizzas! My marinara recipe comes from long ago, another life really, when my husband and I owned a restaurant.  For anyone who has worked in any capacity in the restaurant industry, you know, it is a different world.  Restaurant people are, how do you say....a different sort of folk.  And I’m not knocking anyone, I include myself in that group, that different sort of group. We sold the restaurant years ago and people are always asking me if I miss it. No. I am happy to have had the experience, happy to have created something from nothing and to share that with my husband and the community, but, just to be sure you got that...no.    The menu at Seablue original concept was fine dining tapas and has evolved into a more traditional restaurant.  It will celebrate it’s 10 year anniversary in July of 2014! And I am happy to help them celebrate.  

Not only is it delicious, your house will smell fabulous, if you like the smell of garlic that is.

#10 Can of Tomatoes - I like the San Marzano

1 Onion chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic

2 Carrots

Basil

Oregano

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Sugar

Pinch of Red Pepper flakes

Saute onion, garlic, and carrots until onions are translucent.  Add tomatoes and simmer for about 3 hours.  Adding seasoning about half way through. I use an immersion blender at about 2.5 hours taste for seasoning adjust as needed.

Bananas, become Banana Bread, and then achieve their destiny

Bananas

It’s Bananas B A N A N A S, sing along ala Gwen Stefani!  What to do with the overripe, black mushy banana discovered behind the basket in the kitchen? Well, here at PlannedOvers, it gets put in the freezer until such time that several other bananas have joined and we now have a banana quorum for making banana bread.

A few years ago I got turned onto grinding my own wheat and I use a Fidibus that I got on Amazon, if you are interested in pursuing such a thing The Fresh Loaf has a good comparative analysis

of two of the most popular models click here to read.   Also during this quest a friend told me about Bread Beckers http://www.breadbeckers.com/ which is a neat place to learn about how to use freshly milled flours.

But this PlannedOver does not require any grinding, just some old bananas that were destined for the dumpster.  So you're thinking, EVERYBODY makes banana bread out of overripe bananas, well do they also know to make Pan Seared Banana Bread, with Creme Anglaise, Caramelized Bananas, and Caramel sauce???  Because that’s what mine did.

Sounds complicated?  It’s not. I’ll let you in on a HANDY little Plannieover secret, “Creme Anglaise” can also be known as melted vanilla ice cream!  Now that the secret is out what can YOU create with a little PlannedOver ice cream?

Banana Bread - use your favorite recipe, I’m all whole wheat and honey instead of sugar, but to each his own.

PlannedOver Banana Bread dessert - quantities will vary depending on how many you are planning to serve, or how big you want your serving to be!

Butter

Banana Bread slices

Melted vanilla ice cream

Bananas

Honey or Sugar

Caramel Sauce a quick search on http://allrecipes.com/ is a good start.  I typically take an equal amount of butter and sugar, let the sugar melt and turn golden then add PlannedOver heavy cream and whisk until I get the desired consistency.  It keeps for a LONG time making it, it’s very own PlannedOver.

Melt a little butter in a nonstick pan and gently toast the bread slices - similar to a grilled cheese.  Melt butter in another sautee pan and add bananas and whatever sweetener you are using, cook until golden.

To plate, put melted vanilla ice cream in the center of the plate top with banana bread slices, top with bananas and drizzle with caramel sauce!

Bon Appetit!!

Broccoli Stalks

Broccoli Stalks

Broccoli.... it's good, it's good for you, and it is on sale this week!  So after buying a boat load and serving it roasted, and steamed, and raw, and stir-fried, what does that leave me?  Broccoli stalks.  Of course my go-to in this case would be a big ole bowl of broccoli soup, but it is SPRING, 70+ degrees, no soup for me.  Next...I know that you have got to cook the mess out of them to be edible, and although my sis is a big fan of what she calls smoochy broccoli, (appetizing name right), for me not so much.  I am, however, a BIG fan of anything pureed.  I think, being a second child and all, I did not get my fair share of baby food, but that is a story for an entirely different type of blog, so I digress.

You take your overcooked broccoli and put it in the Cuisinart and now what have you got? (that last sentence should be read while singing the Hokey Pokey in your head)  Broccoli Pesto!!  I started here Allrecipes Broccoli Pesto as a base and modified to my liking.  I had a history teacher who said teenagers used  speed limit signs as mere suggestion of how fast they should go.  That is my view on recipes, providing a nice framework for you to let your creativity flow!

Broccoli Pesto
Broccoli Stems
Garlic
Olive Oil
Parmesan
Pesto

I steamed the stems for 8-10 minutes and put them in the food processor with garlic, and some pesto, started it up and drizzled in oil until it reached a hummus like consistency. When I serve it tonight tossed with orzo, I plan to thin with some pasta cooking water, a little lemon juice, and sprinkle with additional grated Parm.  Because as we all know, you always add more cheese!!