eclaire (what’s in a) name?

i wish i could take credit for this recipe, but i can’t. this recipe is the spaghetti sauce i grew up eating – a standard, week night meal, and one of my favorite comfort foods.

to accommodate the palates of me and my sister, my parents would make the sauce in one pan, then divide it between a ground turkey pan and a tofu pan – much the same as in the picture below, where my sister is making the turkey on the left, and i’m making a tofu version on the right.

of course, the recipe was so common place in our home that it was never written down, so the version i make is a bit of a hybrid of the versions my parents created over the years. i start off by sauteeing onions, then throw in sliced mushrooms, grated zucchini and carrots, and add a basic tomato sauce that contains just tomatoes, salt, and basil (i hate the ones that add sugar). then i throw in some chopped kalamata olives, a glug or two of wine, tofu, some red pepper flakes, and let the whole thing simmer a bit before serving it over pasta, most often with artichokes on the side. easy, right? and delicious, and full of hearty veggies disguised as just tasty sauce. (very clever, mom and dad, very clever!)

one year ago: sunday morning muffins (applesauce oatmeal muffins)

spaghetti sauce

yields 8 servings

• 2T olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 dozen (approx) white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 large or 2 small zucchini, grated
• 1 jar or can tomato sauce (around 24 oz)
• 1 dozen (approx) kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1/4t red pepper flakes
• 1/4c (approx) red wine (don’t use anything you wouldn’t drink!)
• 20 oz tofu, cubed (or sub with any other protein, like ground turkey)
• 16 oz spaghetti, shells, or other pasta
• parmesan cheese, optional
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1. place a large pot of water on the stove to boil
2. heat the olive oil in a saute pan
3. add the diced onion to the pan, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes
4. add the garlic and sliced mushrooms, and saute with the onions for another 2 minutes
5. add the grated carrot and zucchini, to the pan and allow to saute for a minute or so
6. add the tomato sauce, olives, red pepper flakes, wine, and tofu to the veggie mixture
7. allow the sauce to simmer for 5-30 minutes (it tastes better if you simmer for 30, but if you’re in a rush as few as 5 minutes will do the trick)
8. boil the pasta according the the package directions, then drain and top with sauce and parmesan cheese