weeknight italian

It was a dreary day in Windsor and Detroit. I'm thinking that's why I felt like making tomato sauce. It started with a can of San Marzano tomatoes that I found in our cupboard. Most chefs deem the San Marzano tomato superior to other varieties. I now believe.

Seriously, the San Marzano tomotoes yielded a much sweeter and less seedy sauce than the typical Roma.

For our evening's appetizer, I painted sliced Calabrese bread with olive oil mixed with minced garlic and kosher salt. Next I topped it with crumbled feta and dried thyme. After 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, we enjoyed garlic bread with a glass of Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon.For the main, it was breaded veal scallopine with brown rice spaghetti and tomato sauce. We've been stuck on brown rice pasta for the past year or two. It just digests better. There is never a feeling of cement in your stomach. In Martha's words, that's a good thing!

To make the tomato sauce: Saute a chopped clove of garlic and chopped basil stalks in olive oil. Add a can of San Marzano tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add a hunk of Parmesan rind. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Throw in splash of your best extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef)

To make the veal scallopine: Put a handful of flour on a plate. Lightly beat an egg in a bowl. Mix bread crumbs or panko with freshly chopped garlic, dried oregano, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Drudge the veal in the flour, next dip the veal in the egg and lastly in the bread crumbs. Fry in a non-stick frying pan. Probably 3-4 minutes per side on medium.

Buon appetito!