Easy Pasta Sauce

I came home late and needed to make something filling and quick with little ingredients.  This sauce is actually really delicious!

Categories:  Pasta, Tomatoes, Ground Beef

Frenchman Rating:  7/10,  "It was simple, so it gets a simple grade."

Ingredients

• 1 small can tomato paste
• 3 large tomatoes, sliced in half and then gutted- guts to the side; the rest choppped thin.
• 3/4  cup water
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 300 grams 'steak haché' or ground beef
• salt/pepper
• 1 tablespoon herbes de provence

Instructions

1. Begin by heating a small amount of oil in a pan and sautéeing the garlic/onions.  After about a minute, toss in the ground beef.  Good for a few minutes, stirring often.
2. Add in the tomato guts and 1/2 the water.  Stir.
3. Add in the tomato paste, rest of water, herbs.  Stir, cover and cook medium-low for 5 minutes.
4. Toss in the sliced tomatoes and salt/pepper to taste.  Stir, cover and cook over low simmer for 10 minutes or ready to serve.

Chicken Caccitore

Chicken caccitore, one of those homey favorites... and tend to be complicated.  My version is one where you can start it and leave it to stew while watching some TV or even better, hanging out and snacking on some buttery popcorn.

Category:  Chicken, Pasta, Tomatoes; Dinner


Frenchman Rating/Comments:  8/10, "Incredibly delicious, the chicken was tender and well cooked, the sauce worked well with the chicken and the olives actually added some round to the flavor."

Cost per Serving:  Chicken = €1.50ea,  Tomato Sauce = €1.00 per serving.  Total Estimated: €2.50 per serving.


Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts, deboned
• 1 can stewed/chopped tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 can black olives
• 1/2 cup shredded emmenthal
• 2 tablespoons romano shredded
• salt/pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, put in a shallow plate.

Equipment

• 1 medium sauce pan
• 1 large frying pan
• 1 shallow plate

Instructions

1. Begin by heating up some oil (medium high heat) in the large frying pan.  Take the two chicken breasts and roll around in the flour, knocking off any extra.
2. When the oil is hot, lay the chicken in it.
3. As the chicken fries on one side, crush the garlic cloves and put in with the canned tomato and seasoning.  Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly.
4. 3 minutes later, turn the chicken, it should be nice and dark brown.  Cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken in the frying pan, ensuring it gets under the chicken and on top.  Add the olives, cover and cook on medium heat.
6. Go do something interesting for about 15 minutes, checking the chicken mixture once in awhile to ensure it's not burned.
7. Start cooking up some pasta; al dente at 8-9 minutes.. Continue cooking the chicken, but add the cheese on top, recover.
8. Serve when the pasta is al dente; on the side.  I like to eat the sauce like a ratatouille with the chicken and compliment it with the sauce.