chipotle butternut squash soup

okay. it's ridiculously obnoxious to peel a squash. but, i promise you the rest of this recipe is a breeze. and quite tasty. here is a how-to picture tutorial on cutting a butternut squash.
this recipe calls for chipotle powder. do know it's quite different then chili powder. chipotle powder is made from smoke-dried jalapeños. chili powder is made from chilies. it's a distinctly different smoky flavor and packs a ton of heat. use it sparingly.

chipotle butternut squash soup
1 butternut squash (2- 2.5 lbs), peeled and cut in 2 in cubes
2 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 medium sized apples, peeled and cut in 2 in cubes
1/8 c olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp chipotle powder
4 c chicken or vegetable broth

1. preheat your oven to 400°.
2. combine squash, onion and apples in a bowl. toss with remaining ingredients (except for the broth) and spread on a foil lined baking pan. bake for 45 minutes.
3. pour broth into a stock pot. add squash, onion and apples. bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
4. combine broth and squash mixture in a food processor. (do this in batches or you'll be wearing it)

roasted vegetable + brie grilled pizza- that's a mouthful

weird i know, but there's something so fantastic about roasted veggies. i had to throw 'em on a pizza. and since it's summer, grilling pizza is a must.  this pizza is fresh and hearty all in the same bite.
if you haven't grilled pizza before, you're in for a life changing experience. okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it's awesome. and super simple!

roasted vegetable + brie grilled pizza
store bought pizza dough (we use sciortino's bakery dough sold at sendik's)
olive oil
7 oz brie cheese, sliced in teeny 1/2" pieces
tomato sauce

roasted veggies
1/2 of a zucchini, sliced and cut in half
1/2 of a yellow squash, sliced and cut in half
2 tomatoes, cut in large chunks
6 asparagus, cut in 3" pieces
1/2 of a orange pepper, cut in 2" x 2" pieces
1/2 of a yellow pepper, cut in 2" x 2" pieces
1/8 c olive oil
1 tbs fresh rosemary, minced
salt & pepper to taste

1. let dough sit on your kitchen counter for 2 hours prior to using. this allows the dough to get a little stretchy and more workable.
2. line a baking sheet with foil. throw your chopped veggies on baking sheet and toss in olive oil, rosemary and salt & pepper. roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. once done, set aside.
3. heat up your grill to a very low temp.
4. put small amount of olive oil on another baking sheet. roll out the dough to your liking and place on cookie sheet. brush the top with olive oil.
5. place dough olive oil side down on grill. close the grill and cook on low for 5-10 minutes or until bottom is lightly brown and crispy.
6. brush the top with olive oil and flip over. top with tomato sauce, roasted vegetables and brie pieces. close the grill and cook for 7-10 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy. turn off grill and let pizza sit for 3 minutes allowing cheese to set. (if the cheese isn't oozy enough for you at this point- throw in the oven on broil for a quick 3 minutes)

baked eggplant fries

who's the idiot that baked eggplant fries in the ridiculous heat last week? that would be me. yep, my oven and i never seem to part ways.
this recipe is a health-i-fied version of fried eggplant. (although the battered & fried stuff is still pretty amazing in my book). using a bit of olive oil in the breading and spraying with pam make for crispy happenings.

baked eggplant fries
1 medium to large eggplant
1 1/2 c plain breadcrumbs
2 tbl italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
5 eggs
1 c flour

1. peel eggplant of it's thick purple skin using a knife. cut into long 1" thick strips.
2. prep your dredging bowls. one with flour, one with eggs (whisked) and one with your breadcrumbs. add italian seasoning, salt & pepper and olive oil to your breadcrumb bowl and stir to combine breaking up olive oil clumps.
3. dredge your strips in flour, then egg and finally breadcrumb mixture. lay on a baking pan lined with foil. repeat process with all strips.
4. spray strips with pam. place on the top rack of your oven. bake for 10 min. pull out and flip strips to other side. spray again with pam and bake for another 5 minutes.
5. serve with warm marinara sauce.

black bean cakes

on the menu of this tiny little restaurant in the third ward, swig, is black bean cakes... heavenly delicious bean cakes. determined to recreate, i bring you these. holy cats, strap on your elastic banded pants; these are good. perfect for a superbowl app as i did or breakfast for god's sake. 


black bean cakes
2, 15 oz cans of black beans, drained
6 green onions, chopped (dark green parts removed)
1/4 c red onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs adobo sauce (found in cans of chiles with adobo sauce)
1/4 c corn meal
4 tbs olive oil

chipotle lime sour cream
8 oz light sour cream
2 tbs adobo sauce (found in cans of chiles with adobo sauce)
1 tsp lime juice

1. heat 2 tbs olive oil in a saute pan. add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. add cumin and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
2. place black beans, cooked onion and adobo sauce in food processor. pulse a few times until beans are mashed up a bit. (you do not want them pureed).
3. place mixture in a bowl. add cornmeal, salt & pepper and stir to combine.
4. form like small patties with bean mixture and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. place in freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.
5. heat remaining olive oil in a saute pan. cook black bean patties in oil for an estimated 5-10 minutes on each side. (you want a golden crispy outside). repeat on other side. (you may have to add more oil as you go).
6. combine chipotle lime sour cream ingredients.
7. top cakes with sour cream and devour!

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grandma smith's macaroni & cheese

all do-respect grandma, but i am embarrassed to post this. by no means do i promote cooking with processed cheese, but the truth of it is, is i love this macaroni and cheese.
i did, however, leave one thing out of her recipe and that is spam. oh spam, why do you come out of can, slimey and in rectangular form?? spam actually stands for shoulder pork ham. according to wikipedia "spam's gelatinous glaze, or aspic, forms from the cooling of meat stock". you can now sleep better knowing what that slimey stuff is. just for fun i thought you would get a kick out of this 1945 spam ad.

okay, enough about spam and on to the important stuff. this is a recipe from the 1960-something version of the better homes cookbook. it's still in there today. feel free to substitute normal cheese or take a stab using the out-of-a-box velveeta as i do.
this is now my third mac & cheese recipe on this blog. i'm looking forward to many, many more. (i know i have a problem).

grandma smith's macaroni & cheese

2 c elbow macaroni
2 tbl butter
2 tbl flour
2 1/2 c milk
3 c velveeta ooey gooey cheese cut up into 2" cubes

1. cook macaroni noodles as directed on package. pour noodles in casserole dish.
2. heat butter in saucepan. once melted, add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. add milk and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens. add cheese a few at a time stirring constantly. continue until all cheese is added and melted.
4. pour cheese sauce over macaroni and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

church & yummy eggplant parmesan

i was reminded on sunday why it's not a good idea to take a 17 month old to church. the story, however, is worth sharing... it's that entertaining. see, i'm a first-time mom and have all of these stories so you're just going to have to listen to them.
brian had plans to go to the packer game which left me pondering what to do with my baby girl all day. and then it came to me! pancakes at the cafe down the street and church. does it get any more angelic than that? after snuggling in bed watching sprout for an hour, we ventured to the daymaker cafe just a few blocks away. it was perfect. reagan said hi to everybody who opened the door and bopped away to the tunes. we gobbled up our pancakes, blew kisses to the waitress and drove to church. now mind you, the last time i went to church was 3 months ago only to find out it's not a good idea to take a 14 month old to church. you would have thought i learned my lesson. unfortunately for me, and all at church, i did not.
upon entering i carefully assessed the best spot to sit deciding the last row wasn't necessary but maybe 6 rows up from the back? it was, however, necessary to sit on the end of the pew for quick toddler removal access. reagan sat in the pew, looked around and was enthralled with the music and all of the people. she bopped her head to "crown him with many crowns" and even clapped and yelled "yay!!" when the hymn was over. i thought to myself- this isn't so bad... i pulled out her tea party set and a book. she played away and even found a two year-old pretzel on the floor that almost made it in to her mouth. she of course stood on the pew and made her traditional ham faces to our friends behind us. then it happened. she saw the aisle and wanted out. i guarded her with my shoe and pulled out the cheerios in desperation of distraction. nope, didn't work. she wanted out. i scooped her up and went to the back of the church leaving her ample room to run around without anybody noticing. problem was she didn't want to run around in the back of the church... she wanted to run down the aisle. yep, she did it. i literally ran for dear life chasing after her. she made it about a third of the way down before i scooped her up and put her again in the back of the room. this time she headed straight for the far left aisle of the church. yep, i found myself chasing her yet again. out of the corner of my eye i saw my friend monica mouthing "it's okay", trying to make me not feel so embarrassed. truth of it was i wanted to drown myself in the wine meant for communion. i scooped her up again with no intention of putting her down, however, she wasn't having it. she ran down the center aisle. i picked her up and shuffled into our pew (trying to act as if that was the plan all along). i sat her on the pew and my darling angel threw every toy she had on the ground leaving the cute kiddos in front of us to pick up and return. of course it was offering time. i dug through my purse, sweating profusely, looking for that god forsaken envelope. meanwhile my daughter is crying and throwing a full blow tantrum. found it! it was evident reagan was no longer able to be saved. she was done. church was not her cup of tea. i made the immediate decision to run the heck out of there hoping everybody would forget what they just saw. as i put reagan's coat on she insisted on blowing kisses to the congregation excited to leave and embark on another adventure outside of the church door. lesson learned.
well, this recipe is much more enjoyable then any of the above. but let's be honest, cheese is always enjoyable. brian requests my eggplant parmesan all of the time. i finally succumbed to the pressure and gave him the deliciousness.
just a tip- when frying anything in olive oil over a saute pan be sure the pan is hot, but not too hot. if the pan is too hot, the breading will slide right off. but if the pan is not hot enough, the oil will soak into the breading and gives off that icky greasy taste. because of working in batches, this can get timely. i could see maybe one of those griddle pans that you plug in making it a quicker process?

eggplant parmesan

1 large eggplant
3 c marinara sauce
10 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (buy the big "ball" and slice into 1/2 in slices)
6 oz shredded parmesan cheese
2 c breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 c flour
3 tbs olive oil

1. slice eggplant into 1/2 in pieces keeping the skin on.
2. prepare your "dredging" bowls using 3 shallow bowls: one with the breadcrumbs, one with the beaten eggs and one with the flour.
3. salt and pepper your eggplant slices. dredge the eggplant starting with flour, then egg, the breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess breading.
4. heat olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. place 3 eggplant slices in pan. Cook for 5 minutes on both sides or until eggplant is golden brown. Repeat process with all eggplant.
5. lay several eggplant slices on bottom of a 9 x 11 glass pan. top with a few mozzarella slices and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese followed by a cup of the marinara sauce. repeat the process with remaining ingredients. (i had three layers, but yours may be different depending on how "fat" your eggplant was). be sure the last layer is: eggplant, marinara, then cheese so you can have a golden, cheesy top.
6. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

skinny spinach & artichoke dip

whomever first put spinach and artichokes together should win an oscar or something. this recipe is heavier on the spinach and lighter on the cheese-slash-fatty stuff. i serve with tortilla chips or french bread.

skinny spinach & artichoke dip

1 small onion, minced
2 packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted & squeezed dry
8 oz fat free cream cheese
8 oz reduced fat sour cream
1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 t salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1. saute onion in 2 tbs olive oil until soft. add spinach, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. cook on low to medium heat for 8 minutes.
2. turn off heat and add the remainder ingredients. stir until cheese is melted.
3. bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

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cream of broccoli & cheese soup

on a soup kick. buon appetito.

cream of broccoli & cheese soup

1 lb broccoli, cut into small bite-size pieces
1 1/2 c chicken broth
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
2 c skim milk
2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

1. bring broccoli and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
2. puree half of the broccoli and chicken broth in a food processor.
3. heat butter in a stockpot. add flour and cook for 1 minute making a "rue". add milk slowly stirring constantly. simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or until milk thickens.
4. add cooked broccoli, broccoli puree, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. heat until cheese melts. be sure not to boil.

squash mac & cheese

i promised myself i'd try this "pureed veggies" cooking concept for years, however the truth of it is- it just didn't sound appealing. now that i have a tiny being who throws her veggies on the ground followed by an "uh-oh", i had the perfect reason to give it a shot. to my surprise you couldn't taste the squash at all! this is my perfect blend of ina garten and jessica seinfeld. comfort food + sneaky little veggies. your kiddos won’t know what hit them.

squash mac & cheese

1 lb elbow noodles, cavatappi or gemelli pasta
4 cups skim milk
8 tbl butter, divided
1/3 cup flour
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz mini babybel swiss cheese, diced
2 cups squash puree*
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup breadcrumbs

1. cook pasta according to directions.
2. melt six tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. add flour and cook on low heat for two minutes. slowly whisk in milk and cook on low heat until sauce thickens.
3. add cheeses, squash puree and salt and pepper. stir until melted. add cooked pasta to sauce and stir until combined. pour into a casserole dish.
4. add breadcrumbs to two tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle on top of the pasta.
5. bake pasta at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

* they do sell squash puree in the freezer section nowadays, however, if you feel ambitious, you can do it yourself. simply cube a butternut squash or three of the smaller yellow squash, roast with olive oil, salt & pepper at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and puree in a food processor.

penne rosa

as you can see by the overwhelming amount of recipes i'm a sucker for pasta. i could live on it day and night. i'm an even bigger sucker for penne rosa at noodles and company. i putzed around for a long time to master a copy cat recipe and this is probably the closest i've gotten to the real thing. the spinach is an absolute must!! i like my dishes to have heat so i add at least a 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes. if you are unsure, start out with a 1/4 tsp and taste when sauce is near done simmering. you can always add more if it isn't to your liking.

penne rosa

3 c penne pasta
1 c marinara sauce
1/2 c heavy cream
1 c fresh spinach
1 c mushrooms, sliced
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to your taste)

1. heat 2 tbl olive oil in saute pan. add mushrooms and tomatoes. heat until mushrooms are cooked thru and tomatoes begin to blister. add marinara, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes (to your taste). simmer on low for 10 minutes.
2. cook pasta according to package.
3. add cream to sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. add spinach and pasta. stir to combine.

pesto

is there anything better than fresh pesto? i think not. it's such a complex and fresh flavor, you would think it's difficult to make. my friends, it doesn't get any simpler than this. it's literally basil, garlic, walnuts (sometimes you'll see a pine nut variation), parmesan cheese, lemon juice and olive oil. you can toss it with pasta, throw it on top of a grilled chicken breast. spread it on a sandwich or put in a soup. and you can freeze it to use later.
love, love, love.

pesto
3 c fresh basil, (2 oz)
3 tbl walnuts
3 tbl grated parmesan
2 garlic cloves
1 tbl lemon juice
salt & pepper
1/4 c olive oil

1. combine first seven ingredients in food processor streaming olive oil in slowly.
2. that's seriously it... seriously.

tortellini pasta salad

this recipe is a tradition at most friend events... showers, baptisms or one year birthday parties (we've surpassed the summers of a bazillion weddings and onto summers of a bazillion kiddo birthday parties) i eat it as a side dish in the summer or as a main course for lunch. yet another recipe with spinach.

tortellini pasta salad
2 bags refrigerated tortellini
6 c fresh spinach
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved.
1 can artichokes, drained & chopped
4 oz shredded parmesan

dressing:
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 envelope italian dressing seasoning

1. cook tortellini as directed on package and cool.
2. mix dressing ingredients.
3. combine all ingredients.

spinach and cheddar strata

great idea for brunch or a cozy supper with your hubby.
i bet you didn't know there was a "frozen food" movement in the 1940's. The idea behind frozen food was allowing convenience in the modern day. however, frozen food was more of a luxury promoted to the wealthier society. birds eye was the first company to advertise frozen spinach to the mass market in "life" magazine in 1949. do note the beautiful pearls that we gals always wear while cooking.

spinach and cheddar stratta

1 tbs olive oil
10 oz frozen spinach
3 cups day-old bread cut in 1 inch cubes
5 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

1. squeeze defrosted spinach releasing all liquid. add olive oil to saute pan and cook spinach for 5 minutes. add spinach and bread cubes to a baking dish.
2. whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 cup of cheese. pour mixture over spinach and bread cubes. top with remaining cheddar.
3. bake dish at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until set in middle and golden brown on top.

adapted from martha stewart

veggie burgers

summer.... it's almost here... or is it? dear god, it better be.
i believe we made this veggie burger once a week all summer long last year. huge fan. lots of ingredients in this recipe, but it's worth it. they are freezable katie!
don't grill them because they'll fall apart. it's best to cook in a saute pan.
we serve with salsa on top and oven sweet potato fries on the side.
i can smell my patio.

veggie burgers

2 tbl olive oil
1/4 c diced red onion
2 diced jalepenos, deseeded
1/4 c diced red pepper
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 c diced artichokes
1 can black beans
1 can cannelini beans
1/2 c quaker oats
3 tbl bread crumbs
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tbl chopped parsley
1/2 t red chili flakes
1/2 t cumin
1 egg

1. saute onion, red pepper, jalepeno, garlic and artichokes in 1 tbl olive oil until soft. (5-10 min)
2. combine sauted veggies with remainder ingredients. use your hands to "mush" together breaking up beans and creating a moist texture.
3. form patties and freeze for 20 minutes to better form patties.
4. saute in remainder olive oil until brown on each side.

 

adapted from guy fieri

eggplant

my grandpa watches the food network and has mentioned on several occasions how much he likes giada de laurentis. he's the first to admit it's not necessarily for her yummy food. yuk! i watch giada because i love her recipes NOT because of the way she looks.

rigatoni with eggplant puree

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 whole garlic cloves
3 tbl olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c toasted pine nuts
1 lb rigatoni
3 tbl olive oil
1/2 c grated parmesan

1. spread eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes on a baking sheet. roast 35 min at 400 degrees. roast pine nuts on a baking sheet for 8 min.
2. cook pasta, reserving 1 1/2 c pasta water.
3. puree vegetables in food processor or blender.
4. stir vegetable puree with pasta, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, olive oil adding pasta water in small batches until your desired consistency.

adapted by giada de laurentis

potato and leek soup

my sister made this for us once with bacon and avocado grilled cheese. delish! i of course had to make it for myself. leeks belong to the allium vegetable family with onion and garlic. i would consider them a milder and sweeter version of onions. unfortunately they aren't always easy to find. sendiks, however, hasn't let me down. it's really important to use white pepper vs. black. you'll definitely taste a difference.

potato and leek soup

1 lb leek (dark green sections removed), chopped
3 tbs butter
3 small potatoes, diced small
1 qt vegetable broth
1 c heavy cream
1 c milk
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt plus a pinch
 1 tbs snipped chives

1.  melt butter over medium heat. add leeks and a pinch of salt. sweat for 5 min. decrease heat to medium low and cook until tender (25 min).
2. add potatoes and broth, bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes are soft (20 min or so).
3. puree in blender or food processor until smooth (do in batches or you'll be covered in it).
4. stir in cream, milk, salt and pepper.

kid tested

so i'm a mac & cheese connoisseur. i've ordered it many a time at restaurants. i have yet to come across anything better than my grandma's (minus the icky spam she put in there... i know, gross). i'll post that one later. i like this recipe because it uses broccoli and anytime you can sneak those veggies in there is a positive in my eye.
my friend macie mae indulged in this dish and i thought it was important to mention that she approved. she called the noodles "nu nus". she was a bit confused about the broccoli as this was the first time she tried it!

mac & cheese with broccoli

2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb cavatappi
2 1/2 c broccoli florets
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 c milk
1 c chicken stock
3 c sharp cheddar
1 tbs dijon mustard

1. heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. add olive oil and onion and cook 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender. add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. whisk in milk and stock and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes.

2. add pasta to boiling water and cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

3. add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, a minute or so. stir in mustard and seaason sauce with salt and pepper. pour sauce over broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine.

4. bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

adapted from rachel ray

black beans

black beans are by far one of the tastiest things to cook with. packed with fiber and known to lower cholesterol. wowza. not to mention a must for meatless monday recipes. i have to admit i'm somewhat of a newbie to the bean. i think it all comes down to whether or not your mom put beans in her chili. well, my mom didn't. my childhood feel cheated.
i digress.
so there's this supposed big game happening tomorrow that i thought this recipe would compliment. see for yourself.

black bean soup

1 tbl olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp ground cumin
1 16 oz pkg dried black beans
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbl chopped chipotle chiles from a can (deseed!!!)
7 c hot water
2 tbl fresh lime juice
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
handful of chopped parsley

1. heat olive oil in a skillet and add peppers and onions. saute until beginning to brown (about 8 min). add garlic and cumin. cook for one minute.

2. transfer to a slow cooker. add beans, chipotles, tomatoes and water. cook on high for 3 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

3. transfer 2 cups of bean mixture to a blender or food processor and puree. return puree to slow cooker. stir in lime juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

4. serve with a dollop of sour cream and crusty bread on the side for dipping!

adapted from Bon Appetit

my first ever post...

i feel like it's gotta be good, right?
a lot of my friends cook and cook well. and then i have those few (who will remain nameless) that refuse to do it and claim they can't. my husband would fit into this category. i find this completely odd knowing all recipes have step by step instructions from start to finish. i think it comes down to the fear of the unfamiliar. let's dedicate a few posts to those few near and dear... the easiest, most simple and delicious recipes ever. (you'll notice i will post others' recipes but will give them the credit they deserve.)

fusilli alla caprese

1 lb. fusilli pasta
2 pints cherry tomatoes
handful of basil, torn
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
3 tbl olive oil
black pepper and salt to taste

1. heat the olive oil in a saute pan. add the tomatoes and let them go at it for a good 10-15 minutes at a low temp. about half way thru, simply mash with a fork or potato masher. the idea here is to get a tomatoe-y ragu. add a generous amount of salt and pepper to your liking. keep in mind this is the only seasoning in the dish, so you'll need quite a bit.

2. cook pasta to al dente (mushy pasta is the worst). drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water.

3. pour the pasta into the ragu. add reserved pasta water a half a cup at a time if needed to loosen up the ragu. turn off the heat and add the basil and mozzarella and stir until the mozzerella oozes a tiny bit.

adapted from giada de laurentis