During a casual conversation, have you ever committed to
have friends, a special person, or your boss over for dinner? If the invitation
was accepted, then the realization that you’ll have to make time for it, do some
extra cleaning, and prepare a meal has smacked you in the face! It is panic
mode now and you have to plan a great meal to create a good impression.
You want people to think that you are a fun person to be with and that you have it all together. Unfortunately, you did not attend the culinary
school Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, France.
All is not lost! You can still make a good memorable dinner. Look in your refrigerator for butter and check to see if you have any red wine. These two ingredients can turn any meal into something "magnifique." Adding white or red wine to a stew, roast or
any sautéed meat or vegetable dish enhances the flavor. Butter, although we are
afraid to use it, brings a rich, creaminess to any dish. I am not promoting the daily use of butter. However, from time to time, you should enjoy using butter to offer a delicious, silkiness to your meals.
For your pasta choice, purchase something other than spaghetti or rigatoni just to make dinner a bit more interesting.
|
Creamy Tomato and Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced
tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
3/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium
heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, wine, salt and
pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the
liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce
heat and simmer 5 more minutes. Garnish with grape tomatoes, halved and fresh chopped basil.
Comments