Book Seventy-Three: The Silver Palate Cookbook

by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins



                        Pasta Sauce Raphael



I received this book as well as The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook as a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law many many years ago. The latter has been used so much that the binding has come undone and the book is now in two pieces.

I quickly scanned the recipe earlier in the day and did not take note of the amount of time this needed to cook. I did not start dinner till late and so I cut the cook time in the first step by half, cooking the tomatoes till they broke down and melted into the onion mixture. Unless you have wonderful tasting homegrown tomatoes, you can save a lot of time by using canned. I'm sure they would work just as well.

The recipe says it makes enough sauce for 4 pounds of pasta. I cut the recipe in half and felt it was just enough for 1 pound. This coming from someone who does not like to drown their pasta in sauce. I did substitute spaghetti for tortellini; this may be the reason for the discrepancy.

Success meter (1-3): 3

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Pasta Sauce Raphael

Serve this spicy tomato-and-artichoke sauce over tortellini. This sauce is good cold as well as hot.

4 lbs. ripe meaty tomatoes

2 jars (6oz ea.) marinated artichoke hearts

½ cup best quality olive oil

2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ cup dried basil

½ Tbl. dried oregano

½ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

1 small dried red pepper, finely chopped

3 Tbl. whole black peppercorns

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup imported Romano cheese

1.       Bring a large pot of salted water to a  boil. Drop tomatoes, a few at a time, into the boiling water. Scald for 10 seconds (I scald until the skins crack – 20 to 30 seconds), then with a slotted spoon transfer to a bowl of ice water. Scald all tomatoes in this fashion, then drain and slip off skins. Cut crosswise into halves, squeeze out seeds and juice, and chop coarsely. Reserve.

2.       Drain artichokes and reserve marinade.

3.       Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté onions, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley and dried red pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes.

4.       Crush the black peppercorns and add them to the onion mixture. (I did not use the full amount – add to your liking.)

5.       Add tomatoes to the sauce, season with about 1 tsp. salt, and simmer uncovered over medium heat for 1 hour.

6.       Add reserved artichokes marinade and simmer, stirring often, for another 30 minutes.

7.       Stir in artichokes and continue to simmer until sauce is rich and thick, another 20 minutes or so. Stir in Romano cheese, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve over your favorite pasta. (If serving pasta Raphael cold, toss with sauce and cool to room temperature.)

Makes enough for 4 pounds of pasta

The Silver Palate Cookbook/Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins