Soul Food 5.1

by Sam Koenen

Here are two more recipes to feed your bodies and strengthen your souls.

Spaghetti and Winter Tomato Sauce (serves 4-6)
3 pints (2 lbs.) cherry tomatoes, halved pole to pole
¼ cup olive oil
Table salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons sugar, or to taste
3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
¼ cup drained capers
1 lb. spaghetti
¼ cup chopped kalamata olives
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted (on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 5 minutes)
2 ounces grated Romano cheese (1 cup)

· Adjust oven rack to middle; heat oven to 350 degrees. When hot, toast the pine nuts.
· In medium bowl, gently toss tomatoes with oil, ½ teaspoon salt, pepper flakes, black pepper, sugar, garlic, and capers.
· Spread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until tomato skins are slightly shriveled (35-40 min.). Remove tomatoes from oven and cool 5-10 minutes.
· While tomatoes cook, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Just before removing tomatoes from oven, stir 1 Tablespoon salt and pasta into boiling water and cook until done.
· Drain pasta and return to pot. Using rubber spatula, scrape tomato mixture into pot on top of pasta. Add olives and oregano; toss to combine. Serve immediately, sprinkling with pine nuts and cheese.

Egg-Fried Rice (serves 4, light main course)
Note: This is a quick, easy, and very tasty dish. We keep the ingredients on hand so we can make a fast and filling dinner when time is sparse. Be sure you don’t use freshly cooked rice; it is far too moist to work in this recipe. Leftover takeout rice is excellent.

1 Tablespoon peanut oil
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups cold unsalted steamed white rice
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup thinly sliced scallion greens (3-4 scallions)
1-2 teaspoon sesame oil

· Heat wok over high heat until a drop of water vaporizes instantly upon contact. Add peanut oil, swirling to coat evenly. Heat until hot and just smoking.
· Add eggs, tilting wok and swirling eggs to form thin layer. Cook 30 seconds.
· Add salt and rice by handfuls, scattering it over the eggs. Stir fry until hot (2-3 min.), breaking up the eggs and letting them rest a few seconds between stirs.
· Add scallion greens and sesame oil (to taste) and stir fry until combined well.


Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his fingers.
—Romeo and Juliet, IV.ii.6.