Thursday, October 1, 2020

Disney Princess Week (9/30/2020) Rapunzel

Our third day of Disney Princess Week we revisit and rewatch Tangled, the story of Rapunzel. Bug-A-Boo's was a big fan of Rapunzel and went as her for Halloween in 2010.

RAPUNZEL

She was also very excited to meet her at Walt Disney World a few years later.

Our dinner tonight is inspired by Rapunzel's magical hair. After last night's labor intensive meal I wanted something easy and figured this was it.

The Menu is set...

Angel Hair pasta with ground turkey

Homemade Roasted Tomato Vodka Sauce
Braided Breadsticks

Even thought the sauce is homemade, it is still super simple and you can make it ahead of time, put it in a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

HOMEMADE ROASTED TOMATO VODKA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of Roma Tomatoes

1 pound of Grape Tomatoes

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 tablespoon Butter

3 cloves of Garlic

1 medium-sized White Onion

freshly ground Black Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

½ cup Vodka

½ cup Heavy Cream

½ grated Parmesan

Serve with fresh Basil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice the grape tomatoes in half and cut the roma tomatoes into loose quarters. Place the grape tomatoes and roma tomatoes on separate baking sheets. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then sprinkle generously with salt. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 25-40 minutes, until soft and fragrant. The grape tomatoes will cook more quickly than the roma.

2. Place the tomatoes and all of their juices in a food processor and puree until smooth. Set puree aside for now.

3. Finely chop the onion. Then heat the butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for 2 minutes, then run the garlic through a garlic press and stir it into the onion. Saute for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.

4. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you like spice). Stir into the onions. Then add the vodka.

5. Saute until the vodka has reduced by half, then add the pureed tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer and reduce for 5 minutes.

6. Lastly, stir in the parmesan and cream. Add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary.

7. When serving the sauce with pasta, it is best to let the pasta finish cooking right in the sauce. Undercook the pasta by a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the sauce, then add the pasta and let the pasta cook in the sauce until al dente.