Saturday, January 5, 2013

Tomato-Garlic Marinara

I discovered a few months ago that I am sensitive to gluten and because of that must avoid consuming a lot of the foods I used to eat constantly. One of my favorite meals ever is spaghetti, which is traditionally made with wheat pasta. Unfortunately, I cannot eat that type of pasta anymore, or at least not without getting quite a stomachache. Luckily for me there are gluten-free versions of pasta, but they lack in taste and texture compared to the original. Upon discovering this I thought about what I could do to make my spaghetti better so that it would still be as good as what I used to eat. That was when I realized that while I could not do much to improve my pasta I could improve on the marinara. I had used to buy marinara in jars from grocery stores so I figured that now I would make it myself from scratch. It ended up being so delicious that I now think my spaghetti is even better than it was before!

Ingredients
-2 pounds Heirloom tomatoes, diced (you could use any type, but these have the best flavor)
-2 or 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-few tablespoons white truffle oil
-1/8 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over mdeium-high heat until it is near the smoke point, then add the tomatoes. Stir the mixture constantly until the tomatoes are near a paste-like consistency.
2. Add garlic and basil and cook a few minutes longer over lower heat.
3. Remove mixture from heat and add in truffle oil, salt, and pepper.
4. If you prefer marinara smooth you can put the mixture into a food processor or blender. If you prefer chunky marinara use as is.
5. Add to your favorite pasta/pasta substitute and enjoy!

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