This is my recipe for Vodka Sauce; it can be made vegetarian by dropping out the soup base. Drop out the dairy to go vegan and it's a respectable marinara, but there's better out there.
2 cans of Crushed Tomatoes (32 oz) or aprox 12 large Roma Tomatoes.
1/2 package of shitake mushrooms (or white if they're cheaper).
2 Minced Shallots (or 1 cooking onion). Shallots are better.
5 Table Spoons Garlic.
4 Large pinches of Basil.
4 Large pinches of Oregano.
3 Large pinches of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.
1 Table Spoon of Beef Soup Base (or two bullion cubes).
1/2 container of whipping cream (the little ones the size of grade school milk boxes).
6-10 Table Spoons of grated Parmesan/Asiago blend cheese. None of that Kraft shit. Real cheese.
2 Shots of Vodka.
Salt and Pepper: To taste.
Step 1: If you're using fresh tomatoes: Cut the tomato skin in one vertical loop, then in another horizontal loop (equator and from the north pole to south pole). Add the tomatoes to a pot of boiling water until the skin begins to curl in from the edges a centimeter or two. Remove and peel off skin quarters. If they do not peel easily, put back in the water for a bit.
Put the tomatoes in a pot and crush them well. This can be a lot of work, but it's worth it. Otherwise use crushed tomatoes.
Step 2: Put the crushed tomatoes over medium low heat. Add the following:
- 1/2 package of mushrooms, chopped like you'd get on a pizza.
- 2 Minced Shallots
-5 Tablespoons of Garlic (I just use a small handful).
-4 Large Pinches of Basil.
-4 Large Pinches of Oregano.
-3 Large Pinches of Crushed Red Pepper.
-1 Table Spoon of Beef Soup Base (or 2 bullion cubes).
-Salt + Pepper: To Taste.
Cook until simmering well, lots of messy bubbles. Let it reduce for a while, maybe 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: Add the Vodka. Let it simmer for another few minutes and turn the heat down or entirely off.
Step 3: Add in cheese, one small handful at a time, mixing and turning into the sauce. You should be using grated hard cheese. Not mozzarella or the green tube shit. Soft cheese will not turn out the same. Feel free to use less, more is good, but it can be a little pricey for good cheese, and good cheese carries a lot of flavor.
Step 4: Let cool for several minutes until it does not burn your finger, add in the cream. Half of the small container or until the sauce is a rosy color. Combine well. Do not do this wile sauce is still very hot, the cream will turn and the whole thing will taste sour, it's gross, don't do it.
This shit is good. It's pretty cheap too. The bulk is tomatoes, it doesn't require a lot of expensive cream and hard cheeses last a long time. Red Pepper is good. Don't leave it out, the creamy with a spicy undertone is a huge part of the flavor. Seriously, stop buying expensive soft cheeses that you eat large quantities of. Cheese is best as a quasi-spice if you're trying to be efficient. Below is how I do my stuffed shells with Cottage Cheese - which is a cheaper alternative to soft cheeses and a good substitute for ricotta.
This is a smaller batch. It feeds maybe 6. Use Penne Pasta because it's traditional and holds the sauce well. Avoid long pastas like spaghetti. You can easily scale it up, but the cream means it prob won't keep as well. You could always make it without the cream, freeze it, and then add the cream later. Or just freeze it, but I dislike freezing dairy.
Rough Price Estimate ~$21- 26 for the listed serving. $5-8 Tomatoes, $2-3 Mushrooms, $1-2 Shallots, $1 Garlic, $3-4 Soup Base (with tons left over), $6 Cheese, $2 Cream, 1.50 Pasta. I'm guessing you have Vodka around the house. You can leave it out if you have to, it's still good.
Keep in mind: Most of the cost is in the soup base, which you don't need many of. The cream you will have half left over. $6 of cheese should be enough for at least a double batch. Tomatoes are cheap, especially in season, so a double batch is going to be a lot more cost effective because it's just more tomatoes.
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Stuffed Shells:
Materials Needed: Cheesecloth, or if absolutely necessary a CLEAN bath towel.
Just buy cheesecloth, it's cheap, you can wash it, it lasts forever, has a million uses. For real. Buy some.
1 Box of Large Stuffing Shell Pasta (Never Barilla, fuck them).
1 Large container Small Curd Cottage Cheese.
2 Table Spoons Oregano.
~1 Tablespoon Salt.
~1 Tablespoon Black Pepper.
3/4 Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar.
2 Eggs.
Step 1: Start boiling those shells. Be careful, if they burn on the bottom, they're useless. Only unbroken shells are useful, use the broken ones to sample the Vodka Sauce above.
Step 2: Lay the Cheesecloth or Towel (you philistine) on the counter, flip the Cottage Cheese container onto it. Fold up the edges of the cloth and twist them. Place the cloth over a bowl and twist repeatedly until the liquid begins leaving the cheese through the cloth. Keep skimming the liquid off into the bowl while twisting the cheese tighter and tighter. You should remove a lot of liquid, check the cheese inside, it should be DRY, if not, keep twisting. It takes a little while. You may want to save the liquid, if you're really pinching, you can try using the left over liquid in place of the heavy cream. Probably not as good as cream, but waste not want not.
Step 3: Add the dry Cottage Cheese to a large bowl: Add in Oregano, Salt, Pepper and 3/4 Table Spoon of Vinegar. The Vinegar is because we are using this in place of Ricotta. A good Ricotta is a little acidic and has some pungency, the little bit of vinegar simulates this. Be careful not to add too much. Err on the side of caution. Combine well, then add the egg (this will bind the cheese together).
Step 4:Preheat Oven to 350. Drain the fully boiled shells and begin stuffing the shells. You'll notice one edge folds in, and the other folds over. Pull out the par that folds "in" fully, take a small handful of the cheese mixture into your hand and squeeze tightly, stuff it into the shell. The shell should fold over the cheese, it's ok if a little peaks out - if you lost shells, don't be afraid to over stuff. It's still good.
Step 5: Once all the shells are stuffed, put in a pan with some marinara or the Vodka Sauce on the bottom with some water mixed in; just enough to make it a little more watery than normal, this will keep the pasta from drying out and the marinara from burning to the bottom if it's too thick- you have to put something so they don't burn to the bottom. This is important. Butter won't cut it. Bake COVERED for ~20 minutes at 350 degrees.
IF you cannot cover with foil or another baking pan, cover the shells in sauce and DO NOT ADD THE EGG and don't overstuff. Bake for 10 minutes or so to get the cheese nice and hot.
Pasta is like $1.50. Cheese is like $2.50. Eggs are like $2.50 for a dozen. It's cheap.
2 cans of Crushed Tomatoes (32 oz) or aprox 12 large Roma Tomatoes.
1/2 package of shitake mushrooms (or white if they're cheaper).
2 Minced Shallots (or 1 cooking onion). Shallots are better.
5 Table Spoons Garlic.
4 Large pinches of Basil.
4 Large pinches of Oregano.
3 Large pinches of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.
1 Table Spoon of Beef Soup Base (or two bullion cubes).
1/2 container of whipping cream (the little ones the size of grade school milk boxes).
6-10 Table Spoons of grated Parmesan/Asiago blend cheese. None of that Kraft shit. Real cheese.
2 Shots of Vodka.
Salt and Pepper: To taste.
Step 1: If you're using fresh tomatoes: Cut the tomato skin in one vertical loop, then in another horizontal loop (equator and from the north pole to south pole). Add the tomatoes to a pot of boiling water until the skin begins to curl in from the edges a centimeter or two. Remove and peel off skin quarters. If they do not peel easily, put back in the water for a bit.
Put the tomatoes in a pot and crush them well. This can be a lot of work, but it's worth it. Otherwise use crushed tomatoes.
Step 2: Put the crushed tomatoes over medium low heat. Add the following:
- 1/2 package of mushrooms, chopped like you'd get on a pizza.
- 2 Minced Shallots
-5 Tablespoons of Garlic (I just use a small handful).
-4 Large Pinches of Basil.
-4 Large Pinches of Oregano.
-3 Large Pinches of Crushed Red Pepper.
-1 Table Spoon of Beef Soup Base (or 2 bullion cubes).
-Salt + Pepper: To Taste.
Cook until simmering well, lots of messy bubbles. Let it reduce for a while, maybe 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: Add the Vodka. Let it simmer for another few minutes and turn the heat down or entirely off.
Step 3: Add in cheese, one small handful at a time, mixing and turning into the sauce. You should be using grated hard cheese. Not mozzarella or the green tube shit. Soft cheese will not turn out the same. Feel free to use less, more is good, but it can be a little pricey for good cheese, and good cheese carries a lot of flavor.
Step 4: Let cool for several minutes until it does not burn your finger, add in the cream. Half of the small container or until the sauce is a rosy color. Combine well. Do not do this wile sauce is still very hot, the cream will turn and the whole thing will taste sour, it's gross, don't do it.
This shit is good. It's pretty cheap too. The bulk is tomatoes, it doesn't require a lot of expensive cream and hard cheeses last a long time. Red Pepper is good. Don't leave it out, the creamy with a spicy undertone is a huge part of the flavor. Seriously, stop buying expensive soft cheeses that you eat large quantities of. Cheese is best as a quasi-spice if you're trying to be efficient. Below is how I do my stuffed shells with Cottage Cheese - which is a cheaper alternative to soft cheeses and a good substitute for ricotta.
This is a smaller batch. It feeds maybe 6. Use Penne Pasta because it's traditional and holds the sauce well. Avoid long pastas like spaghetti. You can easily scale it up, but the cream means it prob won't keep as well. You could always make it without the cream, freeze it, and then add the cream later. Or just freeze it, but I dislike freezing dairy.
Rough Price Estimate ~$21- 26 for the listed serving. $5-8 Tomatoes, $2-3 Mushrooms, $1-2 Shallots, $1 Garlic, $3-4 Soup Base (with tons left over), $6 Cheese, $2 Cream, 1.50 Pasta. I'm guessing you have Vodka around the house. You can leave it out if you have to, it's still good.
Keep in mind: Most of the cost is in the soup base, which you don't need many of. The cream you will have half left over. $6 of cheese should be enough for at least a double batch. Tomatoes are cheap, especially in season, so a double batch is going to be a lot more cost effective because it's just more tomatoes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stuffed Shells:
Materials Needed: Cheesecloth, or if absolutely necessary a CLEAN bath towel.
Just buy cheesecloth, it's cheap, you can wash it, it lasts forever, has a million uses. For real. Buy some.
1 Box of Large Stuffing Shell Pasta (Never Barilla, fuck them).
1 Large container Small Curd Cottage Cheese.
2 Table Spoons Oregano.
~1 Tablespoon Salt.
~1 Tablespoon Black Pepper.
3/4 Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar.
2 Eggs.
Step 1: Start boiling those shells. Be careful, if they burn on the bottom, they're useless. Only unbroken shells are useful, use the broken ones to sample the Vodka Sauce above.
Step 2: Lay the Cheesecloth or Towel (you philistine) on the counter, flip the Cottage Cheese container onto it. Fold up the edges of the cloth and twist them. Place the cloth over a bowl and twist repeatedly until the liquid begins leaving the cheese through the cloth. Keep skimming the liquid off into the bowl while twisting the cheese tighter and tighter. You should remove a lot of liquid, check the cheese inside, it should be DRY, if not, keep twisting. It takes a little while. You may want to save the liquid, if you're really pinching, you can try using the left over liquid in place of the heavy cream. Probably not as good as cream, but waste not want not.
Step 3: Add the dry Cottage Cheese to a large bowl: Add in Oregano, Salt, Pepper and 3/4 Table Spoon of Vinegar. The Vinegar is because we are using this in place of Ricotta. A good Ricotta is a little acidic and has some pungency, the little bit of vinegar simulates this. Be careful not to add too much. Err on the side of caution. Combine well, then add the egg (this will bind the cheese together).
Step 4:Preheat Oven to 350. Drain the fully boiled shells and begin stuffing the shells. You'll notice one edge folds in, and the other folds over. Pull out the par that folds "in" fully, take a small handful of the cheese mixture into your hand and squeeze tightly, stuff it into the shell. The shell should fold over the cheese, it's ok if a little peaks out - if you lost shells, don't be afraid to over stuff. It's still good.
Step 5: Once all the shells are stuffed, put in a pan with some marinara or the Vodka Sauce on the bottom with some water mixed in; just enough to make it a little more watery than normal, this will keep the pasta from drying out and the marinara from burning to the bottom if it's too thick- you have to put something so they don't burn to the bottom. This is important. Butter won't cut it. Bake COVERED for ~20 minutes at 350 degrees.
IF you cannot cover with foil or another baking pan, cover the shells in sauce and DO NOT ADD THE EGG and don't overstuff. Bake for 10 minutes or so to get the cheese nice and hot.
Pasta is like $1.50. Cheese is like $2.50. Eggs are like $2.50 for a dozen. It's cheap.
