Pre-game-day carbs














Simplicity, the theme continues........Perfect for pre soccer game day carb intake. Every time I served it to Sagie and some of his friends before games, they won! I take full credit for their victories!! As surprising as it may sound pasta sauce was my achilles heel, I think the right tomatoes are key here, the proportions are key and keeping a light handed attitute is critical. In the past I did not stop at garlic and tomato, it takes some expreience, confidence and restraint to have that right touch, just so. After years of playing with different versions of pasta sauce recipes, whether adding artichokes or mushrooms, paprika or Roma tomatoes, sometimes canned crushed whole tomatoes or onions and an assortment of herbs, I came to this perfection of a sauce. The purest, tastiest, what's left is to jar it and give it away!!

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta
4 tomatoes medium to large (on the vine), grated, with a knife make a cross at bottom of tomato and grate, discard skin
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce (I use Hunt's regular, careful not to pick salt free or with herbes/garlic accidently)
One head of garlic peeled, minced
Canola oil
Red pepper flakes (optional especially pre game day)
salt
Fresh black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or according to desire

Directions:
1. Boil pasta with a bit of salt as directed on box al dente, drain
2. Sweat, cook garlic in canola oil, make sure it's really soft and cooked, add grated fresh tomatoes and cook for few more minutes, add canned tomato sauce and keep cooking on medium, add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.
3. Add drained pasta to sauce gently to avoid a splash, , add Parmesan cheese and fold pasta, sauce and cheese gently and let sit for about 10-20 covered with a lid so that the pasta will absorb (drink) the sauce.

String beans for pre-game or for Thanksgiving:
1/2 - 1 lb fresh string beans, ends snipped, rinsed and drained
1/2 - 1 head of garlic peeled and crushed with the handle of the knife
Canola oil
Salt

In a frying pan put bit of oil, string beans, crushed garlic and some salt. Cook on low/medium and stir ocassionaly until string beans are soft. Make sure garlic turns soft and does not burn, at most turn golden, see pic!

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