Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (28-ounce each) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional) 

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring very frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until all the vegetables are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano and bay leaves and simmer, covered, on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot, until slightly thickened and the vegetables are completely tender. Stir in the brown sugar. Taste the sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed. Add the butter and stir to combine if you want to round out the flavors and add a dimension of silkiness.
2. Remove the bay leaves. In a blender or food processor, blend the sauce (in several batches, if necessary) until it is smooth. The sauce can be frozen once it is cooled completely in freezer-safe ziploc bags for up to 6 months.

Yield: 7 cups of sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/classic-marinara-sauce/

Turkey/Chicken and Brown Rice Soup

Ingredients:                                     (Makes a lot of soup!)        

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped onion or shallot
• 1 cup (about 6-8 ounces) diced carrots (about 2-3 large carrots)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup (about 4 ounces) diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• 6 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup (about 3.5 to 5.5 ounces) long grain, jasmine or basmati brown rice
• 2 teaspoons herbs de Provence (see note for a substitution)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4-5 cups chopped kale (about 3-4 ounces)
• 3 cups cooked, chopped turkey or chicken (about 12 ounces)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

1. For the Instant Pot, using the saute function, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Secure the lid. Select manual and dial up or down to 20 minutes.
2. When finished cooking, quick release the pressure (if liquid spurts through the valve, close the pressure valve, wait 10 minutes and try again). Open the lid and stir in the kale and turkey. Heat through (either using the Saute function or just letting the residual heat of the soup work it’s magic; simmer longer for more tender kale). Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve each serving of soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired.
3. For the stove top, heat the olive oil in a 5-quart or larger saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, herbs de provence, salt and pepper.
4. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring every once in a while, until the rice is tender. Uncover the pot and stir in the kale and turkey. Heat through (simmer longer for more tender kale). Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve each serving of soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes:

You can also use ground turkey in place of the cooked turkey or chicken. Brown it in the first step with the onions and vegetables; drain any grease, and then proceed with the recipe (or you can brown it before starting the soup and reserve it until the end to stir in with the kale and turkey). Herbs de Provence is a fragrant mixture of herbs usually made up of oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram, lavender, savory, sage, and rosemary (sometimes bay leaves, too). If you don’t have it – and you don’t have all of the above spices on hand – I would simplify and use an Italian seasoning blend or just a mix of oregano, basil, thyme and a pinch of sage if you have it. The flavor will be a bit different, but still delicious.

From: Katie

Stewed Tomatoes

(This recipe is good for anything that you need a tomato base for.  If you want a chunky stewed tomato then you will need to blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds.  The skin should then slip off the tomato.  If it doesn’t slip off then peel it off.  Cut the tomatoes in ½ or ¼.  If you want a smooth stewed tomato base then put tomatoes (with skin still on) in a blender and blend until smooth.)

20 lbs. Tomatoes
2 c. Chopped Celery
2 c. Chopped Onion
2 c. Chopped Parsley
2 c. Chopped Green Peppers
4 Cloves of Garlic Chopped
3 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 c.Vinegar

Pour ¼ c. of veg. oil into the bottom of a stock pot.  Mix all the above ingredients in stock pot.  Bring to a boil.  Pour into jars.  Wipe off jar rim.  Boil flats and place flats and rings on jars.  Pressure Cook – process at 15 lbs. pressure – pints for 25 minutes, quarts for 40 minutes.

Vegetable Soup

Per quart jar add the first 4 ingredients then layer the following ingredients to the top of the jar leaving 1 ½ inch head space.  Fill with water.  Wipe off jar rim.  Boil flats and place flats and rings on jars.  Shake the jar to help dissolve the spices in the bottom of the bottle.  Pressure cook – process at 15 lbs. pressure – quarts for 20 minutes.  

1 Tbsp. Pearl Barley
1 Dash Accent
1 Tbsp. Powdered Bouillon or 2 Bouillon Cubes – crushed – beef or chicken flavored
½ tsp. Salt
Sliced Potatoes (soak in water after slicing to prevent potatoes from going brown)
Slices Carrots
Snapped Green Beans
Sliced Celery
Chopped Onion