Cooking Tips

Baste

Baste is defined as putting drippings, butter or marinade over food while cooking. It is usually done with meat or vegetables and keeps them moist while cooking. This can be with various cooking utensils like a spoon, basting brush or a suction squirter.

How Much Pasta?

When cooking pasta as a main dish plan for two ounces of pasta per person, although hearty eaters may prefer four ounces.

Garnishing

For an interesting garnish try slicing onions or shallots very thin and coating with flour and seasoned salt. Shake off excess flour and fry in hot oil. Add as garnish for steak or chicken or even to top a salad for extra texture.

Grocery Shopping

Keep organized in the kitchen! Use a shopping list so you won’t be tempted to buy lots of extras. Keep the list tacked to the refrigerator so everyone can add to it when items run low

Did you know?

· You can double the quantities and make more of this wonderful sauce. Any leftover sauce can be stored in a screw-top jar and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze it and use it up to 3 weeks afterwards. You must completely de frost it before using it.

· You can use vegetable oil instead of olive oil, but we recommend to stick with the olive oil, as it brings out the flavors of the tomatoes better. We do believe that olive oil is better in this type of cooking. Statistics and research has shown that moderate consumption of olive oil can reduce heart disease. Studies carried out in the Mediterranean region have shown that people there have a lower heart rate disease than other regions of the world. This has been attributed to olive oil and its products. But remember: you must use it in moderation.

· Tomatoes are very nutritious. They have been found to be rich in vitamins A and C. They are also rich in fiber, carbohydrates, potassium and iron. They are low in fat and sodium. Most importantly, tomatoes also contained a component called ‘lycopene’, which is significant in disease prevention.

· Did you know that tomatoes are considered to be a fruit and not a vegetable?

· This basic recipe can be used as a pizza base, before adding your referred toppings.

· It can also be turned into a pasta sauce, or a filling for lasagna, just by adding minced meat and/or peppers and/or mushrooms. Just add the minced meat and/or peppers and/or mushrooms meat, after you fry the onion and the garlic, stirring occasionally until the meat is half cooked, then add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients, stirring occasionally until the mixture is cooked.