In Red Wine…
I am writing this post and watching late night news at the same time. But my eyes are also closing. I really wonder whether I’ll finish writing it, but I keep my fingers and toes crossed.
There is a very interesting news item on “growing beef in the lab, using stem cells.” This has promptly woken me up. Now, there are two people tasting the science burger. It cost about $330,000 to develop and is the world’s most expensive burger. Dr Mark Post from Maastricht University, the Netherlands, has shown the world that growing real edible meat is no longer a fantasy and Cows have been declared very inefficient because they require 100g of vegetable protein to produce only 15g of edible animal protein. What’s your take on this one?
Today I want to share a simple recipe for Pasta with Rich Vegetable Sauce. I don’t think I am going to eat meat for the next few days, after seeing that science burger. Now for the recipe…
- Ingredients
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 carrot finely chopped (1 cup)
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (½ cup)
- 700g tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped (preferably fresh Italian plum tomatoes) or one
- 796ml (28oz) tin diced tomatoes
- I cup chopped red capsicum ( red bell pepper)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 150ml (⅔ cup) red wine
- 150ml (⅔ cup) vegetable stock
- Bouquet garni (I used basil, thyme and curry leaves)
- 2.5-5ml (½-1 teaspoon) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste blended with 2 tablespoons water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Please always remember to assemble all ingredients before you start cooking.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat
add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until soft.
Add carrot and celery
and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes , capsicum (bell peppers), cayenne pepper (if using) and paprika,
and cook for 5-10 minutes until tomatoes are soft
Add wine, stock and bouquet garni.
Season with salt and ground pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the bouquet garni from the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and sugar, adding more sugar if the taste is too sharp. Serve the sauce as it is or press through sieve
or blend to a smooth sauce, whichever you prefer.
Serve with pasta topped with grated Parmesan. Garnish with basil leaves.
It tasted very nice
Rich Vegetable Sauce
Preparation Time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Serves: 4 cups sauce
Ingredients
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 carrot finely chopped (1 cup)
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (½ cup)
- 700g tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped (preferably fresh Italian plum tomatoes) or one 796ml (28oz) tin diced tomatoes
- I cup chopped red capsicum ( red bell pepper)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 150ml (⅔ cup) red wine
- 150ml (⅔ cup) vegetable stock
- Bouquet garni (I used basil, thyme and curry leaves)
- 2.5-5ml (½-1 teaspoon) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste blended with 2 tablespoons water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add carrot and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, capsicum (bell pepper), cayenne pepper (if using) and paprika and cook for 5-10 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
- Add wine, stock and bouquet garni. Season with salt and ground pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the bouquet garni from the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar, adding more sugar if the taste is too sharp.
- Serve the sauce as it is or press through sieve or blend to a smooth sauce, whichever you prefer.
Points to note:
- You can also use this sauce over blanched sliced zucchini (courgettes), cooked French green beans or any other vegetable.
- I blended my sauce, but if I were to cook it again, I would not blend it.
- Looking to substitute the wine? click here
myfavouritepastime.com
My Favourite Pastime 
This looks very good.
Happy Halloween! Any pumpkin recipes soon?
Ha ha,
I have made several pumpkin recipes but I am always so behind in posting. I hope I shall post one soon. Thanks for your compliments and do have a lovely day!
Liz
This sauce looks delicious and I plan to make it! I am a recent vegetarian so I sympathize with your queasiness on the lab-produced meat news.
Thank you for complimenting. The lab meat looked disgusting and unreal. I can’t imagine, tasting it. Enjoy the sauce and thank you for visiting me!
Fantastic post Liz! I’m looking forward to giving it a go 🙂
I am also looking forward to hearing from you. Best Wishes!
Thank you for the encouragement to cook 😛 , I need it 🙂
You are welcome!
Reblogged this on All About Recipes and commented:
This looks tasty!!
Due to the fact that you are over-reblogging posts from myfavouritepastime I am fully objecting to this post being re-blogged by you.
Looks delicious Liz. I’m not eating pasta these days because the calories are too high, however, I make any bet this sauce would be amazing on vegetables, chicken or fish! Gonna pin it
Thanks so much for pinning so many of my photos I received many views from your page, today. When I finish my board, I shall pin your photos too!
The sauce can be used on veggies too. Thanks and enjoy the rest of your week!
That Pasta sauce looks totally delicious. Thanks for the recipe Liz. Will be trying this soon 🙂
Thank you for complimenting and have a wonderful day. I know it’s daytime for you right now!
Vegetable sauce cannot be any healthier and prettier than this. I love the combination/fusion of the ingredients. 😛
Thank you Fae and thank you for giving me a like on FaceBoook too. Wish you a pleasant day!
This is a great pasta sauce and dish, Liz. This time of year, with so much fresh produce available, sauces like this couldn’t be more flavorful. I love ’em! 🙂
Thanks, John. I have just been browsing through your blog. Have a wonderful week!! and Bear hugs to Max.
This looks healthy and delicious! My kids would love this too!
Hi Jean,
If your kids usually eat those Bentos you make, then they are totally feeding on a healthy diet. I love, love your Bentos. Thank you for visiting me. Have a lovely Bento-Filled-Week
Must try this. I often blend a fresh vegetable pasta sauce for my kids, but this sounds like one I’d definitely like to try myself.
I am recently trying to make my own pasta sauces whenever I can. They taste much nicer and you can vary them to suit you. Thanks for visiting me. have a lovely evening. On second thoughts, you’re probably in bed right now, so goodnight!
Liz, I’m with you. Eating vegetables for a few days, so that I can recover from the thought of test tube beef. Lovely pasta dish!
LOL I had a hamburger for lunch today. Don’t we humans have a short memory? I only remembered the science beef after I had finished, and gave a loud ugh! I am having broccoli for dinner tonight. I hope it will neutralize the meat. Thanks, Janet, for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening!
Oh my.. Looks perfect for a pasta lover like me 🙂
Thanks for complimenting. Wish you a wonderful day!
Liz, the pasta looks so alluring. I almost licked my notebook screen. LOL.
Hi Hari,
Nice to hear from you after a short silence. I have just been walking through your blog. Hope I left large footprints there!!
These few days have been sooo busy. Thursday is going to be the breaking fast festival and I am going to get three days off. I have not decided what I am going to do but I am pretty sure that lots of food are going to be involved. 😀
Going to bed soon. It’s going to be even busier tomorrow. Have a wonderful day!
Did you say you are a Muslim? I think we discussed that before but I can’t quite remember. Breaking of fast is always very interesting and full of foods of all sorts and flavours. I used to love it, when I had Muslim neighbours, because we always had opportunity to taste what they cooked. Have a good night!
Nope, I am not a Muslim.:D
It’s just the breaking fast is always the biggest, busiest national event of the year.
The market is going to be crowded like crazy and shopping is going to be harder to do than climbing the Everest (I am quoting a friend).
The two day festival affects everybody, whether you are a Muslim or not. The chili’s price has already tripled the last time I checked it. Beef is twice as expensive. Palm-fruit and papaya flower is everywhere (they will be fermented into sweet pickles).
I have to buy food enough for several days, just in case the sellers in the market are having long break. I cannot imagine myself trapped at home with canned foods! 😀
Thanks, Hari, for explaining to me all this. I now have it firmly etched in my mind. I’ll not ask the same question again.
Every time you tell me about Indonesia, you raise my curiosity even more. You’ve convinced me to add it to my bucket list of countries to visit, one day!
Enjoy your week and Best Wishes to your family!
Liz, I love the fact that you are so interested into Indonesia and its multicultural life.
I really enjoy answering your questions because they let me explain things that I might have missed or forgotten to write in the posts. Do not hesitate to ask more! 😀
If you are visiting Indonesia, make sure that you do a little Googling about the culture of the places you are going to visit. A gesture that shows respect in one region can be something insulting in other places. 😀
Have a wonderful week!
(It’s a lovely morning for me. I get to enjoy many vegetarian dishes because today is the 1st day of the Lunar Month. Some vegetarian food sellers only do business twice in a month, the first and the fifteenth day of the Lunar month)
Thank you so much, for your kind words. You make me feel honoured. I love learning about other cultures, their ways and food.
I always find the best way of learning, is by admitting you don’t know and then asking questions. And I love it that you always answer my questions. Thanks you for that.
When and If I am ready to visit, I shall of course ask for you guidance.
Wish you a very pleasant day and hope you enjoy the first day of the Lunar Month. I have learnt something new today..thanks.
Your pasta looks great!
As for the synthetic beef, I can’t decide what I think. I find it creepy in the same way as genetically modified food, in fact even more so. On the other hand, it’s hard to argue against something that could potential alleviate world hunger, environmental issues associated with raising cattle, etc etc. I’m not sure I’ll be signing up to eat it though!
Thanks for stopping by, for liking my pasta and complimenting it.
Don’t worry about the science burger, if it does hit the shelf, it will be in some ten or more years. By then who knows what will have transpired. I found it creepy though. I am sure I wouldn’t eat it. Have a wonderful day!
Your sauce sounds great. The science experiment…not so much.
Thank you! Have a pleasant day!
I love your sauce! It is a wonderful recipe. And “growing beef in the lab using stem cells?” I don’t even know what to say about that Liz!
The beef was grown and eaten, but it looked so strange on a petri dish, like minced beef. Thanks for popping by and have a wonderful day!
I’d love to try this;I was thinking, maybe lemon or more stock would could substitute the wine but what do you think? I enjoy only homemade pasta, the restaurant ones are either bland or too fatty. Thanks for sharing, I hope you have an awesome day! =)
You can actually substitute the red wine with a lot of options like: non-alcoholic red wine, diluted red wine vinegar, red grape juice diluted with red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, tomato juice. I enjoy homemade pasta too, and I recently started building a repertoire for sauces. Please find the link for alcohol cooking substitutions from about.com here: http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blalcohol6.htm
Nice and healthy 🙂
Thanks!
Reblogged this on liefiewashere.
Looks delish! I love pasta with veggies….sounds much better right now than a lab burger too.
Mama D,
Thanks. I love pasta with veggies too. Have a pleasant day!
A wonderfully dinner, I would add some fried smoked bacon pieces here,..they would go well with these tasty flavours, Liz! MMMMMMMMM!
I totally agree with you…you know how much I adore and dream of BACON. Thanks, so much Sophie. Enjoy your week!
😄 x
Looks very good and healthy, definitely something to try!
Thank you, Robisaba. Have a pleasant week!
The vegetable sauce looks and sounds delicious! It may be rich, but definitely healthier than other pasta sauces. Will give this a try. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Ada, for complimenting. Have a wonderful week!