(yet another) question about Lindrusso's marinara

[ellery]

Okay, I have diligently searched and didn't find this question asked anywhere, so throw no tomatoes (ha! :D ) at my head if it has been asked and answered before.

What wine do you guys when making the marinara? I seem to be the only one who didn't love my marinara when I made it, and I feel pretty sure that it's because of the wine I used - can't remember what it was, maybe a shiraz? I dunno, just suspect that I am to blame for the marinara not turning out well.

Wine suggestions?

Thanks!

:)

Leah

[sneezles]

My usual red wine is a Merlot but I've used a Cabernet as well.

[ellery]

Yay! Sneezles to the rescue! Somehow I knew you'd see the bat signal in the sky and swoop down with advice... Yay!

:D

Thanks!

Leah

[badunnin]

Leah - it may depend on personal taste though. I've used Shiraz in the past and have been very happy with it. It may depend on the Shiraz as well. Maybe if you used a Syrah instead. ;) Just kidding!

[lindrusso]

Hi Leah.

I have used a bunch of different red wines and have liked most of them. Shiraz seems like it would work fine for me. Was it a Shiraz that you enjoy drinking or one that you bought specifically for cooking? Just wondering if it might not have been a good Shiraz?

I will admit though, for some reason, the sauce does seem to come out better some times than others.

However, maybe it just wasn't your kind of sauce? It's a sweeter, thicker sauce than most and the recipe as written is a bit light in the spice department since I like to spice it up later according to what I use it for. Maybe you'd prefer more herbs and spices?

So, mabye it's the wine, but maybe it's just that everyone's taste buds are different. :)

Alysha

[sneezles]

Originally posted by lindrusso
I will admit though, for some reason, the sauce does seem to come out better some times than others.


So, mabye it's the wine, but maybe it's just that everyone's taste buds are different. :)

Alysha

I agree and it could be the tomatoes or the onions!

[ellery]

Nope, falling on the sword here. I feel sure that I did something wrong here - when in doubt concerning food stuff, it's usually SOMETHING I did! :D

I don't know what the issue is with the wine. Maybe I used too much? DF is not big on wine (but I am!), so not sure. I think I'll try it in the crockpot this weekend (now that my thread search has revealed that this is an option) and see what happens. And use a merlot...

;)

Leah

[susan_foster]

Originally posted by ellery

I don't know what the issue is with the wine. Maybe I used too much? DF is not big on wine (but I am!), so not sure. I think I'll try it in the crockpot this weekend (now that my thread search has revealed that this is an option) and see what happens. And use a merlot...

;)

Leah

Ooh - someone's done it in the crockpot? Do you have a link to that? Or how you got it in the search? I have a nice new crockpot and a desire to try the famous sauce!

Susan

[ellery]

From what I saw they just browned the onions and then dumped everything in the crockpot, between 4-6 hours on low. I didn't see a specific recipe per se...

do you need the recipe too? let me see if I can post it...

Leah

[ellery]

et voila!

Lindrusso's Marvelous Marinara


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
3-4 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup cup dry red wine
6 cloves garlic, crushed with the blade of a knife
3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (or 2 28-ounce cans crushed and 2 14-ounce cans diced if you want a bit more chunkiness)
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
pinch of crushed red pepper or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add chopped onions and 1 tablespoon sugar. Sauté onions for 30-45 minutes, or until sweet and caramelized. As the pan dries while onions are cooking, add red wine as needed. Once onions are done, continue to add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until well-combined. Simmer over low heat for 4-6 hours (you can simmer for less, but I would simmer for at least 1-2 hours). Stir often to keep the sauce from burning or getting overcooked. Makes about 9 cups of sauce.

[PoppyJ]

Originally posted by ellery
From what I saw they just browned the onions and then dumped everything in the crockpot, between 4-6 hours on low.

Do you mean just brown the onions or cook them for the full 30-45 minutes?

[RebeccaT]

I always make it in the crockpot. I carmelize my onions (could this be it, Leah? Maybe your onions need more carmelizing?), then add them along with all the other ingredients to my crockpot and cook it for 4 hours on high. I usually leave it uncovered, because I like my results better when it reduces and thickens. But this is probably unnecessary.

[Gail]

Originally posted by PoppyJ


Do you mean just brown the onions or cook them for the full 30-45 minutes?

Browning and caramelizing aren't the same thing. Properly caramelizing your onions is normally a slow, slow process over a low flame which could take up to 30 to 45 minutes.

--

Just my own two cents here on the wine thing here. I don't think that your choice of wine varietal is going to make a really profound difference in whether or not you like the result. If you'd used Rotgut or Mogen David you might get a vastly different taste, otherwise, I think it won't make a huge difference. Now, if you slopped in a lot more wine than the 1/2 cup, that might effect the outcome (I'm remembering a ragu I made many, many years ago where I dumped in WAY TOO MUCH wine and the result was... icky.)

[Marykw1265]

Carmelizing the onions is what makes this marinara so special. Do not skimp on this part of the recipe. Simply sauteing or sweating will not produce the same result.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Marykw1265
Carmelizing the onions is what makes this marinara so special. Do not skimp on this part of the recipe. Simply sauteing or sweating will not produce the same result.

So very true. If there is one thing that makes this recipe what it is, it's the onions.

And not that you shouldn't try it, but I've never been as happy with the results in the crockpot as I have been on the stove. Just my own personal preference - I like that the sauce cooks down on the stove and it just doesn't seem to do the same in the crockpot.

That said, I've only tried it once or maybe twice in the crockpot, so it may be a case of just not getting it quite right.

[ellery]

Oops, I meant carmelizing them above. It was Friday afternoon... :rolleyes:

And yes, I think that's what I was doing wrong. Although I'm still not sure what I'm looking for when I'm carmelizing, I carmelized those onions within an inch of their life yesterday and the sauce turned out well (I crock-potted it). Before it had been slightly bitter, so clearly it wasn't the wine but the onions.

Yay!

:D

Thanks!

Leah

[Sarah45]

This marinara sounds fabulous and I am loving the idea of doin it in the crock pot. One question though... I like to assemble my crock pot meals the night before and put it in the fridge so all I have to do is pull out the crock in the morning and plug it in. If I carmelize the onions and then refrigerate them overnight would that make them taste "off"?

Thanks!
Sarah

[lindrusso]

Sarah - I think it would be fine to do the onions beforehand and then refrigerate.

Leah - This sauce would likely be a bit bitter if the onions are not properly caramelized because it's a pretty large quantity of onions. But I see you got some tips on caramelizing on another thread, so it sounds like you have it right.

[brownie12]

RebeccaT: When you cook this in the crockpot with the lid off, does it thicken up as much as it would on the stovetop? Also, does it spatter out as it cooks? Thanks! Oh, I tried your Tortilla soup recipe, and it's wonderful! Have you tried the White chicken chili from the same book? (Stop and Smell the Rosemary) It's excellent as well.

[RebeccaT]

Brownie, I have made it both ways, and yes it does thicken up as much on the crockpot. What I like about using the crockpot is that it doesn't burn on the bottom as easily, and it doesn't really splatter.

Thanks for the recommendation of the white chili! I haven't tried it, but I will! Glad you liked the Tortilla Soup so much - I am due for a batch myself! :)

[Gail]

Hey Alysha,

THREE active threads on the subject of your marinara this morning!

...when you're hot, you're hot! :p ;)

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Gail
Hey Alysha,

THREE active threads on the subject of your marinara this morning!

...when you're hot, you're hot! :p ;)

Yeah, with all this talk about the sauce, could someone please post the recipe again, I can't seem to find it. :p ;)

[Gail]

It's on this thread: http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?postid=686277#post686277 :D

[SandyM]

Cmon you two. Knock it off.

Can someone please direct me to the recipe for Psycho Chicken? :p ;)

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Gail
It's on this thread: http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?postid=686277#post686277 :D

Thanks for the link, but man, I thought I was seeing double.....or there was a sense of deja vu or something...... :eek: :D

Silly me, I should have known it was already posted.....again.... ;)

[lindrusso]

Any good brownie recipes?

[Gail]

Originally posted by lindrusso


Thanks for the link, but man, I thought I was seeing double.....or there was a sense of deja vu or something...... :eek: :D

Silly me, I should have known it was already posted.....again.... ;)

... and I feel fairly confident that it will be posted yet again. :D

[Gail]

Originally posted by SandyM
Cmon you two. Knock it off.

Can someone please direct me to the recipe for Psycho Chicken? :p ;)

Keep that nasty ol' bird out of this.

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by SandyM


Can someone please direct me to the recipe for Psycho Chicken? :p ;)

Does anyone know of anything fun to do in Las Vegas?? ;) :p

[ellery]

or wanna talk politics? put yer dukes up baby!

or how about a poll?

:p

[lindrusso]

Any good restaurants to recommend in New Orleans?

And here's picture of my new doggie: Ah, too much trouble to post. See my avatar.

[Gail]

Talk about thread hijacks...

...anyway, back to Psycho Chicken... :p

[ellery]

Um, like, I just wanna know, can you do a marinara psycho chicken in the crockpot? Like, how long would that take?

I was gonna ask earlier, but you know the boards are just so mean these days, that I was like, you know, afraid. I'd heard about this person named Rembrandt who's really caused the boards to go downhill these days...

um, like, sincerely yours,

Leah