A picture of French bread on the first day of Italy week - I know, I know. But I don't have a picture to show you, despite actually getting it together enough to take my camera to school. So, you get the French bread I made last weekend, or I could show you an equally un-Italian Tart Tatin...
Oh what the heck, you can have that picture too! And now that I am fresh out of filler pictures to blog about I will have to remember to use my camera tomorrow!
Today's menu was oven roasted tomato and garlic soup, hand made pasta - including my second attempt at making Orrechiette, pesto sauce, classic tomato sauce and biscotti.
Hands down my favorite thing of the day was the tomato sauce. Garlic, onion, tomato paste and the best quality tomatoes - totally brilliant. But, you can't skimp on the tomatoes here, you have to find the sweetest, ripest canned tomatoes possible, which I guarantee you won't find at any old supermarket. You are looking for a can of tomatoes with no added anything... Tomatoes, tomato juice and maybe, maybe basil. That's it! No salt, no citric acid, no nothing.
I learned today that if a tomato is picked at its ripest there is enough sugar to preserve it in the can. So, it's good advice to avoid added salt and citric acid, because something wasn't quite right when those little buddies went into the can. Other than the tomatoes you are relying on the caramelization of the onion, garlic and tomato paste for added sweetness. And don't you dare go and buy Heinz tomato paste after you just bought the best Italian canned tomatoes you could find! Buy high end there too, or better yet, puree sun-dried tomatoes.
If there's something tomato sauce can teach us all it's that cooking simple is a HUGE challange. Five ingredients come together to create perfection - if you don't skimp it's amazing!
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