Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce

Every year we make our annual batch of tomato sauce.  

A traditional recipe with a modernized technique that we've simplified with the use of our electronic tomato press and a mini chopper for the garlic and onions.

We pressed a total of 6 bushels of Roma Tomatoes and broke down the recipe for each pot of sauce we boiled as follows:

Pasta Sauce

Pasta Sauce

Pasta is always a favourite in our home and my famous meat sauce is one that everyone seams to love.  I'm often asked for this recipe and have therefore documented my original version below.

Over the years of making this sauce, I've been known to cut back or add an ingredient to give this sauce a different flavour.  The possibilities are endless!  Some family members enjoy their pasta saucy and others like just a little sauce as illustrated, but the one thing that everyone loves is a handful of grated Swiss Emmenthal Cheese sprinkled all over.  

Try sprinkling some fresh chillies overtop to give this dish a bite.

Peppers & Feta Tomato Sauce

Peppers & Feta Tomato Sauce

One of the main agricultures in Florina, Greece is peppers.  Growing up, this is one vegetable I remember being on our table quite frequently, whether it was added into a meal, a salad, or just a side dish.

Below is a recipe representing my Macedonian heritage.

When making this dish, be sure to use the creamiest Feta Cheese you can find.  The illustrations in the recipe below were made with Goat's Cheese and did not cream enough.  Trust me.  The type of Feta Cheese you use in this recipe will make all the difference in taste and texture.  My personal favourite Feta Cheese is made by Dodoni.

Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage Rolls

There are so many different ways to prepare the filling for your cabbage rolls.  Do you prefer pre-cooking the ground meat and rice prior to filling?   If yes, be careful not to overcook the meat.  There isn't a right or a wrong.  It's a matter of personal preference.  

No matter which method you choose, just be sure to remove the vein from the centre of each leaf before forming a roll.  The first time I made them, I had not performed this step and boy oh boy were those cabbage rolls ever tough to eat.

A quick tip is to freeze the cabbage as a whole and then pull apart the leaves as it defrosts.  I was amazed to see this really works.  No need to boil.  Just be sure to remove those centre veins.

Veal Stew With Green Beans & Potatoes

Veal Stew with Green Beans & Potatoes

This stew is one of the first recipes my Mom taught me how to cook.  She grew up on a farm in northern Greece and I'm sure they planted green beans galore to feed their big families.  Our culture is known for eating plenty of beans and legumes.

This recipe will fill a lot of plates.  As long as the meat and beans were never previously frozen, this green bean stew can be frozen and eaten at a later date.  It's also one of those meals that tastes better the next day.

Try replacing the potatoes with yams.  (Remember yams cook a lot faster than potatoes, so add them to the stew approximately 5 to 10 minutes before completion).