Spaghetti Remake

We made it.  This is the last application of Sautéing.  I have learned that there are many uses for this application that can increase flavor while saving calories.  I am going to call it the healthier way to fry!  We have made everything from popcorn, tofu, veggies, fruit and fish.  Overall, I think most anything can be sautéed as long as it is uniform in size and shape, you have a good pan and a fat such as butter or any kind of oil.  One of the best things I've learned during this process is the idea of adding an ingredient after cooking but before serving.  The one that sticks out in my mind is the vinegar in the green beans.  That splash of red wine vinegar really changed the taste of the green beans and made veggies that night a little more interesting without adding a ton of calories. 

This last application is called "Swiss Chard with Garlic and Tomato".  Swiss chard is one of the veggies that I don't find myself buying regularly at the grocery store.  Before I had tried it, I thought it was something only eaten in the South.  As our family is learning to eat healthier and with more variety, we have eaten this a couple of times, mostly by steaming.  I will tell you it is similar to spinach when cooked.  It doesn't really have a strong flavor and can be easily hidden in something like spaghetti.  For this application, I started by making a combination of butter and flour in a bowl into a paste.  Guessing at this point that it will be some kind of thickening agent. 

After this, I prepared the fresh swiss chard.  The recipe calls for it to be blanched and chopped.  I have decided that it is a pain to blanch veggies that I might not even taste.  Blanching, for those of you who don't know, is to place an ingredient (swiss chard in this case) into boiling water for a short amount of time and then into an ice bath.  The purpose is to soften the veggies while retaining its color and some texture.

The sautéing application comes in when we heat olive oil to medium heat and then add pinion, garlic, red pepper flakes.  This is a slow cooking process to bring out the flavor and caramelization of the onions.  I LOVE cooked onions.  The smell of garlic and onions in the sauté pan makes me happy.

Here are those beautiful onions.... which then I added the flour butter mixture.  I will have to admit.  It said to whisk it but it was not really that possible.  It became clumpy for lack of a better word.

Next into the party is the canned crushed tomatoes and chicken stock.  At this point I would like to point out how much cheaper it is to buy a can of diced and/or crushed tomatoes than a jar of pasta sauce.  Don't be lazy people,  get the cans, added some seasoning and you have pasta sauce just as quick as opening a jar of PREGO.  (I love prego by the way)  It taste fresher, probably has less crap in it and for sure less sugar.  You can do it guys.  Don't be afraid.

Here is my beautiful thick sauce.  At this point I added the bow tie pasta and the blanched swiss chard.  To be honest, that huge bunch turned out to be about 1/2 cup of soft soggy swiss chard.  It went into the pasta sauce.  At this point I have to show you our family bowl.  This meal was definitely a HUGE family meal since it is basically pasta and red sauce.  If you can't read it, it says, "Give Thanks for the Big Game"  This shows are favorite holiday (thanksgiving) and sport (football)

After putting the pasta into the bowl, we topped it with fresh rosemary and fresh parmesan cheese.

This was a double thumbs up from everyone in my family.  I love that I probably don't even need to look at the recipe to make this one again.  This could also be changed up with spinach, kale, and rainbow chard, any different shape pasta or herbs.  Maybe basil instead of rosemary.

 Hope you have enjoyed sautéing with me.  We will now be moving into poaching.  I have to be honest to say that I have never poached anything so this should be interesting.  Hope to see you soon. I promise I will finish this book some day.