Farm Fresh Challenge: Tomato & Turkey Sauce with Ziti

This week’s CSA box from Calverts Gift included: Green beans, tomatoes, french fingerling potatoes, escarole, head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, rapini. I traded out the sweet peppers for extra potatoes.  I also picked up some purple basil from the extras box

Goin’ old school with the Farm Fresh Challenge today and keeping it simple with my recipe for Tomato Sauce.

INGREDIENTS from the  BOX:

• 4 Tomatoes
• 12 Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 bunch Purple Basil
• Rapini

INGREDIENTS from previous BOX:

• 1 head of Garlic

INGREDIENTS from the PANTRY:

• 1 Tbls butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1 pound lean Ground Turkey
• 1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1 pound Ziti
• shredded Italian Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel the Garlic. Mince the cloves.

2. Heat the butter in a large pot on the stove. When the butter is melted add the Garlic and brown.

3. Add the Purple Sage and cook for 1 minute.

4.  Peel the large Tomatoes, chop into 1/2″ chunks and add to the Garlic. Cut the Cherry Tomatoes in half and add to the pot.

5. Stirring occasionally so the Tomato Sauce doesn’t stick to the pot cook until the Tomatoes are very soft. About 15 minutes.

6. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

7. Remove to a bowl.

8. Add the Olive Oil to the pot then add the Ground Turkey. Brown completely.

9. Add the Italian Bread Crumbs and cook a few minutes longer.

10. Put the Ground Turkey in with the Tomato Sauce and wipe out the pot.

11. Fill the pot with 4 to 6 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add the Ziti and a dash of Olive Oil and cook for 14 minutes (or follow directions on package.) When Ziti is tender drain in a collider.

12. Combine the Ziti with the Tomato/Ground Turkey Sauce in the pot, cover and set aside.

RAPINI

Rapini is similar to Brocoli Rabe. Both the stems and leaves are edible. Today well eat the stems.

1. Trim the bottom 1/4″ from the Rapini stems and discard. Cut stems in 1/2″ pieces up to the leaves (which you can save for another meal.)

2. In a second, smaller pot heat 1/2″ of water to boiling. Add the Rapini stems when the water is ready and boil for 5 minutes.

3. Drain and plate with the Ziti.

Garnish with Shredded Italian Cheese.

The great thing about Tomato Sauce is you can add a little of this or a little of that to suit your needs. Next week I’ll be in the kitchen with my nephew who started his own garden this year.  He’s got some Ground Venison in the freezer and I think we’ll try that instead of (or maybe in addition to) the Turkey. Or you could leave out the meat all together.  I also like Onion (but didn’t have any in the pantry. So I’d add that. Pepper is always a nice add in (if everybody can tolerate it. Mushrooms too.

What else to do you add to your Sauce?

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