Home Canned Tomatoes

So, last week, I canned tomatoes for the first time in probably 2 decades.  I tried to can 6 quarts.  Five worked beautifully and one failed spectacularly.  So, this week, I needed to use that quart.  I decided that since I have a really nice looking spaghetti squash, I would make a ragu.  This one with sausage and cannellini beans.  I started it in a skillet and then transferred it to my crockpot to cook while I was out shopping with John.  Love having things like this cooking in the crockpot because it makes the house smell heavenly!

Sausage, White Bean and Tomato Ragu

• 12 oz sweet Italian sausage**
• 1 large onion*, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
• 1 cup chianti
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 quart tomatoes*, undrained
• 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking up, for about 3 minutes.  Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.  Add olive oil to pan and then saute onions about 3 minutes.  Add tomato paste and garlic; cook for about 1 minute.  Add wine to pan to deglaze; make sure to scrape the brown bits from the pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour all into a crockpot and cook, covered, on LOW for 4-5 hours.  Then open lid and allow to cook for 2 more hours to thicken.  Serve over pasta, rice or spaghetti squash.

*Farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Braised Short Ribs

Yesterday a friend posted a recipe for soy-braised short ribs with mushrooms.  It sounded really good and I asked for the recipe.  Well, I have filed that recipe because it still looks really good to me, but today, I decided that I wanted to make a ragu with the ribs and got the idea that using marinara and red wine might produce a great ragu.  I am going to give my CSA, Middleton Farms, credit for the ribs even though I don't get a meat share, because I bought the ribs from them at the farmers market.  I used a Classico 4-cheese marinara, but next time, I probably will make my own as we will be getting tomatoes very soon in our Harvest Share.

Braised Short-Rib Ragu

• 2.5 lbs beef short ribs*
• salt & pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 jar (or 4 cups) marinara sauce
• 8 cloves garlic*, crushed
• 2 cups red wine (I used Ruffino Il Leo Chianti)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Brown the short ribs in batches (about 5 minutes per batch)

Add the garlic cloves, Donatella’s Marinara Sauce, and the red wine (enough so the meat is just covered).

Bring to a simmer on the stove-top then braise in the preheated oven until the meat is very tender, about 2 ½ – 3 hours.  Pull meat from bones and shred.

Serve over rice, pasta, spaghetti squash or zucchini "noodles".

*CSA ingredients

Nutrition (1/2 cup serving)
Calories, 221
Fat 13g
Carbs 8g
Protein 13g