Super Fast Tomato Sauce

A good tomato sauce usually needs at least an hour simmering. This is a quick, and just as tasty alternative. Great with pasta - or even on toast!!

Ingredients:

10-12 tomatoes

10 basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

Olive oil

Method:
Gently fry the crushed garlic cloves and about 5 basil leaves in the olive oil.
Remove the basil when done.
Peel the tomatoes (immerse in boiling water for about 1/2 min and the skin will come off)
Chop the tomatoes and add to the garlic.
Cook gently on a medium flame.

Top with the remaining basil and serve.

Couldn't be easier!!!

Healthy Fish Dish

After all the fattening food in my last posts, here is something healthy, tasty and easy to make!

Recipe courtesy of my dear old mama....

Ingredients

1 catfish fillet or two if small. can use any other type of white fish fillets.
1 spring onion
1 large tomato
few leaves fresh basil
1 lemon slice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed.

Method:
Wrap fish in pouch of parchment paper and top with white part of spring onion,and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Lightly steam fish in microwave for two minutes.

Slice two rounds from tomato for decoration use and chop the rest roughly, add salt and pepper and chopped basil leaves.
Serve fish decorated with the tomato rounds, the chopped tomatoes the lemon round cut in half, decorate with sprig of basil, check seasoning and sprinkle with a thin stream of olive oil.
Enjoy!

Pesto

It's important to use pine nuts and not walnuts as some recipes state - the difference is amazing. This is a great Italian sauce that's best with pasta.

Making pesto by hand in a mortar produces the most authentic and delicious results but a food processor on a low setting can be used to gently and minimally chop leaves before proceeding.

Delicious tossed with pasta, pesto also makes an excellent topping for pizza. Try a little served along with grilled chicken or drizzled over slices of ripe summer tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients

¼ cup pine nuts

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed, peel removed

Coarse sea salt

6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place pine nuts in a medium skillet and heat over medium-low heat.

Cook, occasionally shaking the pan back and forth over the heat, until nuts are toasted, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer nuts to a plate to cool completely.

Rinse basil and gently, but thoroughly, pat dry with paper towels.

Place in a processorwith cooled pine nuts, garlic and pinch salt.

Use the food processor on a low setting to turn basil into a paste.

Add both cheeses into mixture to combine.

In a slow and steady steam, add oil, keeping processor on lowest setting (as if you were making mayonnaise).

Pesto is best used the same day but keeps, its surface covered with a thin layer of olive oil and tightly covered, chilled, for 3 days. You can also hermetically seal it in a jar.

To dress pasta, toss with hot pasta (just cooked and drained), add a tablespoon or two of butter and toss again. Serve at once.