Category: Tomato

No. 563Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Spaghetti alla Vodka

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Food & memories, memories & food. Years ago when the world was steady, I met a fantastic chef/fellow blogger. She shared her take on her Grandmother’s “all vodka” recipe. Spaghetti alla Vodka a memory Little Jewel.

ALLA VODKA

Vodka sauce is a pink sauce with a splash of booze that is somewhere between a tomato sauce and an Alfredo sauce. The sauce was surely created in Italy way before it became popular in America. Not to worry, the alcohol inherent in vodka is cooked out completely during the cooking process.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

TOMATO INFUSED VODKA

Key to the recipe are the vodka soaked tomatoes. Do not skip these, they are easy to make. Just place ripe, large peeled garden tomatoes in a glass jar (with a lid) and cover them with vodka. Cover and put tomatoes away in the refrigerator for at least 5 days to do their magic. Make sure to fill the jar to cover the tomatoes with vodka, if they float up use a wooden skewer to anchor the tomatoes.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI ALLA VODKA

This recipe originated from my friend’s Grandmother in Italy. I will vouch, this is a real Italian family. I enjoyed our days cooking with this fellow chef, always something to learn.

Prepare a large pot of boiling salted water, hold a low boil.

The sauce is so easy to prepare. Lightly sauté onions and garlic together in olive oil, just until translucent. Next add the pureed tomatoes and tomato vodka. Simmer about 10-15 minutes. Add the sliced basil*, red pepper flakes, and heavy cream, stir and allow sauce to heat through.

Add the spaghetti to boiling salted water and cook to package instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water to use if the sauce seems too thick.

Stir in the drained spaghetti to the sauce. Toss lightly to coat the spaghetti. Serve the spaghetti in a large shallow bowls with additional grated Parmesan, drizzle of olive oil and more red pepper flakes if you like spicy.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CHIFFONADE

This a French cooking term which is the culinary preparation of herbs or leafy vegetables sliced into long, thin ribbons. Simply tighly roll 2-3 basil leaves together then slice crosswise in thin strips.

PASTA BOWLS

A collection of plain white pasta bowls are a worthwhile kitchen investment. I have two types, the shallow bowls you see here and deeper large bowls for ragus and larger pastas.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

No. 563 Spaghetti alla Vodka, a shared Little Jewel from the Kithen Recipe Collection.

 

No. 560Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Tomato & Bread Salad

Tomato & Bread Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Bread & Tomato salad is a great way to use all those random tomatoes at the end of the season. A salad of juicy tomatoes, olive oil & vinegar are aborbed by the rustic toasted bread. Bellisimo!

SUMMER’S END TOMATOES

One of greatest way to use all those random tomatoes at the end of the season. A salad of juicy tomatoes, olive oil & vinegar are aborbed by the rustic toasted bread. Bellisimo! SUMMER'S END TOMATOES BREAD AND TOMATO SALAD Bijouxs Little Jewels

All the odds and ends tomatoes are perfect candidates for Bread & Tomato Salad.

BREAD & TOMATO SALAD

This salad comes together in an instant with basic pantry ingredients along with day old rustic bread, torn and toasted lightly just perfect to soak up all the juices and dressing.  This salad is a light dinner or lunch to serve along with some fresh fruit and a glass of ice cold rose.

One of greatest way to use all those random tomatoes at the end of the season. A salad of juicy tomatoes, olive oil & vinegar are aborbed by the rustic toasted bread. Bellisimo! SUMMER'S END TOMATOES BREAD AND TOMATO SALAD | Bijouxs Little Jewels

One of greatest way to use all those random tomatoes at the end of the season. A salad of juicy tomatoes, olive oil & vinegar are aborbed by the rustic toasted bread. Bellisimo! SUMMER'S END TOMATOES BREAD AND TOMATO SALAD |Bijouxs Little Jewels

Savor the end of Summer season with Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

No. 559Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomato & Basil Sauce

SLOW ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Life is a bowl full of cherries, cherry tomatoes that is. Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Basil savoring the little jewels of Summer.

THE MENU

Nearing the end of summer the tomato plants give it one last go, producing the last of the tomatoes in the blistering September heat. Even along the coast the sun has been pounding down on the garden and the tomatoes are going crazy. Time to pull out all my tomato recipes.

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Basil | Bijouxs Little Jewels

SLOW ROASTING

We know what slow roasting can do for vegetables, it works the same magic on cherry tomatoes. The slow temp coaxes out the sugary sweetness of the fruit. It takes a bit of time but worth every minute, producing cherry tomatoes perfect for sauces, pasta dishes and of course this lovely to add to your Charcuterie platter.

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Basil | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

BASIL SAUCE

Another end of season crop is basil, and fresh basil creates this simple sauce to bathe the tomatoes in, plus it is very easy to make. Serving the tomatoes with sauce creates a perfect vehicle to dip sliced bread in then top with a tomato.

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Basil | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Basil | Bijouxs Litle Jewels

 

BEAUTIFUL FOOD BY DESIGN

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Basil | Bijoux Little Jewels

 

My Bijouxs mantra BEAUTIFUL FOOD BY DESIGN. Cooking at home with all the everyday beauty all around us, right in our kitchens. Cheers.

 

 

No. 556Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Gazpacho Millet Bowl

Gazpacho Millet Bowl | Bijouxs Little Jewels

The flavors in the classic Spanish cold soup Gazpacho are inspired in my Gazpacho Millet Bowl-a bowl to love this summer from the Bijouxs Collection Membership Recipe No. 556.

SUMMER SIMPLE

The Summer heat just calls out for the cooling flavors in gazpacho soup an uncooked mixture of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, water, vinegar, onions, cucumbers, and green peppers. Usually thickened with bread crumbs but this recipe uses the seed  millet to create a summer bowl for your table.

GAZPACHO

Gazpacho is cold soup of the Spanish cuisine, especially that of Andalusia. It is an ancient dish mentioned in Greek and Roman literature however the main ingredients of the modern version, tomatoes and green peppers, were brought to Spain from the New World only in the 16th century. Who knew?

GAZPACHO MILLET BOWL

Since Spanish cookbooks do classify gazpacho as a salad, this bowl is a perfect spot-on recipe. Tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, along with a tomato flavor-infused millet make up the salad. Adding tomato paste to the millet cooking water amps up the flavor. I enjoy using grain-free products such as Millet and cooking the millet in the microwave is inspired from Alton Brown’s recipe.

Gazpacho Millet Bowl | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Gazpacho Millet Bowl No. 556 in the Collection Membership. Join to receive full access to all 556 recipes.

 

No. 552Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú | Bijouxs Little Jewels

The Pacific Northwest Paley’s Place , a recipe and cookbook that are both little jewels- Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú-No.552 The Recipe Collection

PALEY’S PLACE

After 26 years the Portland iconic restaurant closed in 2021. Left behind is a classic cookbook filled with recipes from Vitaly and Kimberly Paley. I have a million cookbooks but this one is special and filled with recipes and stores from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. It looks like a happy place no doubt. I found  my copy on Amazon.

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú | Bijouxs Little Jewels

PALEY’S PLACE PORK RAGU

This recipe caught my eye. The spices in the sauce as very similar to my Baked Ziti with Sausage. A very memorable recipe from my No. 1 Family and Friends Cookbook.  Cinnamon is the spice that adds the ‘can’t put my finger on it” it’s delicious but what is it? 

The thinking comes from chef Vitaly Paley and unexpected flavors from his visit to Istanbul with his Turkish wife. He was able to infuse things from eastern Mediterranean, and Ottoman Empire flavors. There is so much to learn from the world cuisines, which is what keeps me cooking, always learning.

In his book, he shares his spice blend for making the pork sausage, which is quite simple and worth taking a look at. This recipe via 177MilkStreet uses bulk Italian Sweet Sausage as a short cut. I used the short cut however, I included a dash of paprika, ground fennel and ground star anise, which are the spices he used for his sausage recipe. The sauce is light but packed with flavor the perfect pair with a wide pasta such as Pappardelle.

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Cookbooks become the vessel to store all our food memories Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

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