Giada de Laurentiis' Tomato Sauce

Spice it up with basil and your favorite meat (pork, beef, turkey or chicken!


Simple Tomato Sauce:

Yield: 6 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Ease of Preparation: Easy


1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional


In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion
and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add
celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all
the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay
leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick.
Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes
acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the
flavors.


Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process
until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.


If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to
2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6
months.

Open Faced Tuna Sandwich

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients


Mayonnaise:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely diced sweet pickles (about 2 pickles)

Sandwiches:

4 (4 to 6-ounce) albacore tuna steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/4 cup
4 teaspoons herbs de Provence
4 slices sharp white Cheddar
1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta bread, halved horizontally (see Cook's Note)
2 cups arugula, thinly sliced


Directions


For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and sweet pickles until smooth.

For the sandwiches: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the herbs de Provence. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of fish during the last minute of grilling. Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom half of the bread with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Cut into 4 pieces, each about 4-inches long and 3-inches wide. Grill, cut side down, for 30 seconds to 1 minute until toasted and golden.


Spread the grilled bread with the sweet pickle mayonnaise. Place a tuna steak on top. Top with the arugula and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Cook's Note: Make the leftover top half of the ciabatta into croutons by cutting into 1-inch pieces, drizzling with olive oil and baking for 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated 375 degree F oven. Alternatively, tear the bread into small pieces, allow to dry, and blend in a food processor to make bread crumbs

From: foodnetwork.com