Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

Potatoes au gratin, one of my favorite dishes of all time.  In my opinion there are few things more delicious then potatoes, or anything for that matter, covered with cheese and baked until brown and bubbly.  With Thanksgiving looming I have been searching high and low for recipes that are Primal / Paleo friendly but don't make you feel like you're missing out on anything, then I found this!

Now I have openly admitted what a carb-obsessed, potato loving freak I was before going Primal.  So when I tell you that I am 100% convinced that this will satisfy my craving for potatoes this holiday season that's a big deal!  The options with this dish are endless, you can make it as I did below or you could skip the sour cream and cheddar and go for heavy cream and gruyere with a dash of nutmeg.  It goes without saying that this is going to become a permanent fixture in my weekly rotation until I find my favorite flavor combination.  Served as a side alongside a tender roasted pork tenderloin, this Spaghetti Squash Au Gartin is a hearty full flavor side dish your entire family will love.

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin
Serves 6

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds.  Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl.  Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

My Favorite Frittata

I must confess, I’m addicted to eggs. The boy and I go through at least a dozen a week, and if I actually got my lazy butt out of bed in the morning on time like I’m supposed to, that number would easily double. Whether they are being used to create decadent cakes and custards or simply being scrambled and served along side some crispy bacon I’m obsessed and can’t seem to get enough.

One of my favorite egg dishes is a frittata. Similar to an omelet or a quiche, a frittata is packed full of your favorite meats, cheeses and herbs and cooked on the stove top until the eggs are just set then tossed in the oven under the broiler to get everything all nice and crispy. They are perfect for when you have a ton of veggies sitting in your fridge on the edge of ruin and even more perfect for a weekend brunch. They are also a vitamin and protein rich post workout snack that I have been inhaling after my workouts.

There are a ton of different recipes that I use depending on my mood or what’s lingering around in my fridge. Crumbled sausage with sage and cheddar, roasted red peppers with chives and goat cheese or my favorite sautéed red onion, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and feta...the possibilities are truly endless!

* The picture below shows an individual portion made in an 8” nonstick pan using half of the ingredients listed below.

My Favorite Frittata
Serves 4

6 eggs, beaten
¼ cup half and half
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup chopped broccoli, can be fresh or frozen
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat a 10” nonstick skillet over medium heat and crank on the broiler in your oven to high. Make sure the rack is in the upper 1/3 position. Beat up the eggs with the half and half until there are tiny bubbles on the surface, about 2 minutes, and season with a little salt and pepper. The object here is to try and incorporate as much air into the eggs as possible; this will result in a fluffier frittata. Add the olive oil and red onion to the pan and sauté until the onion is translucent. Toss in the broccoli and continue to sauté for another 3 – 5 minutes. Add the quartered cherry tomatoes, toss gently, and season with salt and pepper.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the butter to the pan, once melted pour in the egg mixture. Gently stir around the eggs until they are mostly set and very little liquid remains, just like you would do with an omelet. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the crumbled feta cheese.

Toss the pan in the oven under the broiler and cook until the edges begin to pull away from the pan and the top is nice and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.

Homemade Tomato Soup

I know it’s a little weird, posting up a soup recipe at the beginning of summer.  I mean heck, here in FL my temperature gauge read 90º at 830am this morning!  But for me summer means two important things…mainly it’s time to begin sipping ice cold beverages while listening to Marley on a sun drenched beach, but it also means its tomato time :)

How many of you, like me, love this fruit like no other?  I remember eating them like apples when I was a kid and even today one of my favorite snacks is sliced tomato wedges with a sprinkling of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.  Sadly my growing experience has been quite unsuccessful so I tend to rely on my local farmers market for the freshest beauties I can get my hands on.  And in a pinch, when you need to whip up dinner fast I always have a couple cans of organic, chopped tomatoes in my pantry.

Monday night the boy was feeling a little blah and I was trying to muster up the energy to do anything after my new workout, so I whipped up an old comfort food staple…Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.  Well, Grilled Cheese for the boy and more like Tomato Soup and cheese slices for me.

This recipe is quick, darn tasty and simply tastes of summer.  It contains ingredients most cooks always have on hand and is on the table in 20 minutes or less.  So next time you’re feeling a little under the weather, or just not wanting to exert a lot of energy in the kitchen, give this spin on an old comfort staple a try.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Serves 4

1 14oz can of organic chopped tomatoes, drained and juices reserved

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup homemade chicken stock

¼ cup fresh chopped basil leaves

¼ cup half and half

Preheat your oven to 450º and line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Open a can of tomatoes and drain, reserving the juices.  Place the drained tomatoes on the foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Toss into your preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes. 

While the tomatoes are roasting, in a large saucepan over medium low heat, add the ¼ cup of olive oil, diced onion and garlic cloves.  Cook for 10 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.  Remove the tomatoes from the oven and transfer them to the pot with the onions and garlic.  Make sure you get as much of the charred bits and as much of the juices into the pan as possible.  Add the chicken stock and the reserved tomato juices and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped basil and ¼ cup of half and half.  Using a hand held immersion blender, food processor or plain old blender puree the mixture until it becomes a soup like consistency.  You can also take this a step further and pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, but I prefer mine with little bits of tomato and basil.  Return the pureed soup to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top and alongside your favorite melted cheese creation for dunking.

Zucchini Fettuccini with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes

As I’ve mentioned on here before, the one thing I miss the most since going Primal is carbs.  Sugar and I have never been that close, I mean I’ve never been one of those ‘coke a day’ people and I’m completely satisfied with having sweets only once in a blue moon.  But carbs, honey let me tell you, I would have some sort of potato, rice or pasta with almost every single meal…and I miss it, BIG TIME!

Since making the transition I’ve come a long way.  I’ve convinced myself that cauliflower tastes no different then potatoes when mashed up with garlic and half and half, and that when it’s chopped up extra fine and steamed it can easily trick someone into believing its rice.  Recently I discovered that even very thin strips of zucchini can take the place of lasagna noodles.  But nothing could come close to satisfying my craving for creamy linguini or pasta carbonara…that is until now!

Who would have thought that certain vegetables could be so versatile?  Up until recently the only time I’d ever eaten zucchini was steamed with salt and pepper or roasted on a grill.  Who would have thought that it would become my go to staple for replacing my beloved pasta? 

In this recipe, zucchini is transformed into long fettuccini-like noodles then combined with sundried tomatoes, goat cheese and fresh basil to give you a rich and creamy pasta-like dish chock full of vitamins and nutrients with practically no guilt factor.  Trust me, you MUST make this soon.

Zucchini Fettuccini with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes
Serves 4

3 large zucchini, julienned into ¼” wide strips

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ medium onion, chopped
1 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup finely chopped pre-cooked sweet Italian chicken sausage (optional)
2 tablespoons Fox Point Seasoning blend (available online from Penzey’s and SO tasty!)
½ cup half and half
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup basil, finely chopped

Using my new favorite kitchen tool fit your mandoline with a ¼ julienne blade.  Lop off the tops of each zucchini and pass over the blade until you have long ¼” wide ribbons.  This can also be done with a hand held julienne vegetable peeler.  In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped onion and sauté until translucent.  Toss in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add the sundried tomatoes and sausage, if using, and heat through.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss in the zucchini noodles and add the Fox Point Seasoning blend.  If you don’t have that on hand (go and buy it immediately) just season with salt and pepper and continue cooking 3-5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and add in the half and half and crumbled goat cheese.  Stir until the cheese has melted through then toss in the chopped basil.  Serve in a big old bowl and watch your family be amazed at the fact that there is no pasta in this dish

Cauli-Rice

A while back I showed you how to turn an ordinary head of cauliflower into delicious, creamy mashed potatoes. But the thing with cauli-taters is, no matter how much butter, cream, garlic or salt and pepper you add, they still end up tasting like cauliflower. Now that might not be an issue for some people, like me, that happen to love the stuff but what do you do for the haters out there? My suggestion, turn it into rice!

No matter how many times I make this, I am always amazed at how much it doesn’t taste like cauliflower. And the process couldn’t be simpler.

What you end up with is a light and fluffy side dish so much like rice you will hardly miss it’s starchy, carb laden twin. It can be served as a side dish along side a delicious Balsamic Glazed Tenderloin or as the base in an amazing Thai Shrimp Curry. It’s extremely versatile; it’s super healthy and tastes great!

Cauli-Rice
Serves 4

1 large head of cauliflower

Remove the stem from the cauliflower and cut into florets. Take out your food processor and throw on the shredding blade, then pulse the florets (5 or 6 at a time) into little rice like granules. Toss in bowl with a tight fitting lid and microwave for 6 minutes.

Cauli-Taters (cauliflower mashed 'potatoes')

So I’m not going to even TRY and tell you that these taste just like potatoes and you won’t even know the difference…cause they don’t and trust me you will! But if you are trying to cut back on your carb intake and would like something that’s creamy like potatoes then give these guys a try. And when you’re doing the dishes and continually sticking your fork back in the pot you won’t have all that guilt like before. Ok, maybe that’s just me but whatever.

Cauli-Taters
Serves 4

1 head cauliflower cut into florets
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup half and half
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower florets until fork tender. I pop mine in the microwave in a covered dish with ¼ cup of water for 10 minutes. Transfer the steamed cauliflower to a food processor (or you can mash by hand) and add remaining ingredients except half and half. Pulse until all ingredients are coarsely chopped (you may have to do this in batches). Once everything is uniform in size, turn your processor on full blast and stream in the half and half. When you reach your desired consistency add salt and pepper to taste and more butter if desired.

Serve this in place of mashed potatoes along side your some of your favorite dishes.

Baked Apples with Cinnamon, Raisins and Walnuts

For about 3 weeks now I’ve been slowly transitioning over to a new eating routine. Not a diet per se, just a healthier way of eating. I’ve cut back on my need for a soda a day and all but eliminated carbs from my diet (and yes, that means beer too!). Truth be told, it hasn’t been easy, in fact I crave blue box macaroni and cheese on a daily basis…but my body tells me it’s been worth it. I have more energy through out the day, and the baggier pants are definitely a plus too!

But don’t worry, I’m not here to get on my soap box and preach to you the benefits of healthy eating, for the boy and I it’s a personal preference, but what I can promise is to share some of the amazing recipes that come out of it. One thing you can count on is the majority of them will be gluten free and contain no added sugar.

Now does this mean that next week I’m not going to post some delicious cheesy encrusted pasta or a monster chocolate cake recipe? Absolutely not! I’m not dead readers, and a girl needs to cheat every once in a while. So rest assured Dandy Dishes is not getting completely veggie-fied but what I do hope you will find are new recipes using ingredients you might not typically think of and that are much healthier for your bodies.

Baked Apples with Cinnamon, Raisins and Walnuts
Serves 4

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled or unpeeled
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup water
Raw Honey for garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375º. Wash and core your apples and remove the peel if you choose…truth be told the peels can get a little rubbery if left on but nutrition wise you will more then double your fiber intake. If leaving the peels on, using a knife, pierce the skin a couple times around the entire apple.

Combine the raisins, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla together in a small bowl and mix well. Place the apples in a glass baking dish and stuff the raisin and nut mixture into the cored centers. Pack in as much as you can, if they’re overflowing a little its ok. Pour the water into the bottom of the baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer to your preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove apples from the oven and transfer to a plate. Slice into wedges and drizzle with the raw honey. And please if you’re not into the whole healthy eating thing; serve a big old scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side so I can live vicariously through you!

Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Cauliflower

After looking over some of my other posts I noticed that I tend to overlook the side dish component of many meals.  Truthfully I'm pretty basic when it comes to what I serve along side many of my dishes.  In my mind mashed potatoes go with everything, even pasta (kidding...well, sort of) but usually I'm just throwing some steamed veggies on the side or having a nice green salad.  But sometimes you get sick of the same old thing every other week and have to switch it up.  Cauliflower is one of those ingredients that is so versatile in the kitchen.  Steamed, Mashed or Roasted each takes on a different level of flavor and even if someone if your family (cough, cough The Boy) swears up and down that he hates it and won't eat it even he will be going back for seconds.  So whether your cooking up some chicken breasts or roasting a savory pork tenderloin with gravy this Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Cauliflower recipe is a delicious, healthy and pretty addition to your plate.

Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon, chopped fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 450° degrees.  In a large baking dish combine the cauliflower, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Toss gently with your hands until all the florets are equally covered with the garlic, oil, salt and pepper.  Cover with aluminium foil and toss into your preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and discard aluminum foil.  Now crank on the broiler setting.  Toss the florets then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, parsley and breadcrumbs.  Toss the dish back into the oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs and cheese are golden brown.

Linguini with Tomato Cream Sauce

In the past this has always been my go to tomato sauce, simple and loaded with flavor it’s the one I always turn to…until now. Last Friday night I was sitting around the house and had a serious craving for spaghetti, but something a little different. Something with a little fire to it but still sweet and bursting with tomato flavor. After a quick trip to the store for some much needed wine and a couple missing ingredients I started on what is now my go to tomato sauce. The fire roasted tomatoes give this dish an added dimension of flavor, there is a smokiness to them that really goes well with a nice hearty glass of Gnarly Head Cabernet. And when a sauce is this simple I really do recommend buying quality ingredients. Spring for the good pasta in the fancy packaging made with semolina flour, you’re going to taste the earthiness, buy real parmesan cheese not that pre-grated powdered stuff, and for the tomatoes if you’re not going to use fresh my go to canned favorite is Muir Glen organic tomatoes (fire roasted in this case). They are sweeter and contain much less sugar then the other brands and taste less acidic as well. This dish is perfect for a mid week date night, just chill down the wine, throw on some jazz and let the smells of this wonderful sauce permeate throughout the house. In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better.

Linguini with Tomato Cream Sauce
Serves 2 (easily doubled to serve 4)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes
¼ cup half and half
½ package of good pasta (Linguini, Spaghetti, etc)
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil over medium heat. When butter begins to foam, add your onions. Season onions with a sprinkling of salt and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic to the onions and cook until fragrant, only about 2 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes to the pan and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you have around 10 minutes left, start your pasta. Now, most importantly, pour yourself a glass of wine! After 20 minutes the sauce should smell wonderfully. This is the part where you can choose which direction you want to go. You can either leave the sauce as is, chunky and rustic or you can transfer the mixture to a fine mesh strainer. I go for the strainer as I think the sauce is much more delicate and pure without the onion and garlic chunks but it’s up to you. If going the rustic route, just cut off the heat add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, then pour in your half and half and you’re done. If you’re going the strainer route (highly recommended) pour your mixture into the strainer and with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, smash down on the tomatoes, onion and garlic until the filtered sauce begins to pour though. It goes without saying you should probably being down this over a large bowl. Keep mashing until all the liquid has passed through the strainer. Discard what is left in the strainer and pour the filtered sauce back into your skillet. Over low heat melt in remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, cut the heat and pour in the ¼ cup of half and half. Drain your pasta and add directly to the skillet with the sauce. Toss gently and throw in your chopped basil. Serve on a warm plate with big chunks of peeled parmesan cheese and of course, pour yourself another glass of wine!

Fast and Easy Homemade Hummus

I admit it, I have addiction to hummus, however in the past I have never truly been able to produce one that I have loved as much as the one I can get in a certain Greek restaurant in a certain town, located off of 7th Avenue that the mere thought of makes me swoon. Light, creamy and down right delicious! That is until now, turns out the secret lies in juice I always pour down the drain when straining the beans from the can. Normally I am an advocate for all things fresh but when I want hummus, I want it now! I don’t have the time to let the beans soak overnight to get tender so I always have a couple cans of garbanzo beans (or chick peas) in my pantry. This can be whipped up in the food processor or blender in about 5 minutes, serve with some toasted whole wheat pitas and you have one amazing appetizer, snack, whatever you want a call it, it’s GOOD!

Homemade Hummus

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed but liquid reserved
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons tahini, can be found in most supermarkets in the peanut butter aisle
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

In a food processor or blender, combine the minced garlic, beans, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and salt. Set the speed on low and blend until evenly mixed, while on low begin to slowly stream in the reserved liquid from the beans. You want the mixture to become light and fluffy; this of course is to your preference but in all you will need about ½ a cup of the reserved liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl, sprinkle with smoked paprika and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Cut pitas into wedges drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of dry oregano. Make sure pitas are well coated on both sides with oil and herbs and pop into a preheated 325º oven for about 7 minutes. Serve along side hummus with carrot sticks, tomato wedges and olives for a healthy and delicious snack.

Pasta Primavera

Summer is hands down my favorite time of year. To me it means weekend barbeques with friends, lazy Saturday's at the beach and a much needed vacation! Summer officially kicked off this past Monday the 21st, and while it brings us longer days and warmer temperatures it also brings us the best produce of the year. Plump tomatoes, juicy bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini and herbs are overflowing at your local produce stands and farmers markets. And with prices at their lowest of the season you can't afford to miss out on making some of summer's best dishes.

Even if your not a so-called 'veggie' person I beg you to at least give this recipe a try. Even the boy was skeptical as first! Red bell peppers, summer squash and zucchini are chopped and tossed in olive oil with fresh garlic and shallots then covered in a delicious cream sauce and served over perfectly al dente pasta. Throw some toasted bread crumbs on top and serve with a nice hunk of bread and a salad and you have simple, fresh and delicious LOCAL meal to serve your family.

Pasta Primavera
Serves 6 - 8

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves of garlic chopped thin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more depending on how hot you like it
1 large red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into half moons
1 large or 2 small summer squash, cut into half moons
¼ cup fresh basil
½ cup toasted breadcrumbs (optional) *
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups your favorite white Italian cheese (parmesan, romano, fontina, etc)
1 lb fettuccini pasta noodles

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. You want the pasta to still have some bite to it as it will finish cooking through when you add it to the skillet. Remember to salt your water aggressively and do not oil the water. Oil makes the pasta too slippery and the sauce will not stick to the noodles.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in the shallot and sauté until translucent. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, zucchini and summer squash and cook until veggies are tender but still have some bite left to them, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste then transfer veggies to a plate and return pan to heat.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the butter to the pan. While butter is melting use a wooden spoon and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream and mix well. Now it’s time to add the cheese, if you don’t have any of the above cheeses you can use what you have and still make this work. I happened to have a bag of shredded Italian cheese blend in my fridge that I use for pizzas and it worked perfectly. Add the cheese 1 handful at a time and make sure it is thoroughly melted before adding more to the pan. You will need around 2 cups but I like to taste as I’m adding so the sauce is to my desired level of 'cheesiness'. Salt and pepper to taste then reduce heat to low.

When pasta has finished cooking, drain thoroughly and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, add directly to the skillet with the cream sauce. Toss pasta with the cream sauce; if your sauce is too thick add a little bit of pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency. Throw in the veggies, salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve immediately with a big hunk of fresh Italian bread.

* If you choose, you can top this with toasted breadcrumbs, I like the additional crunch it gives but it’s purely optional. If adding, toast ½ cup of panko bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat until light brown. Sprinkle over pasta before serving.

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

I know, we've tried this whole blog thing before but as many of you know to say last year was crazy does not even begin to explain it.  So here we are again, round 2 of this food blog thing and here's hoping this time it sticks!  This is for all of you who constantly email me for recipes, tips and tricks and to the many homemade meals we hope to make together in the future.

I figured I would start off easy, nothing too fancy, actually if you can boil water you can make this dish...it really is that simple.  After seeing this recipe not once, not twice but over 3 times on the various food blogs I read I knew I had to try it.  Hard to believe something so easy can be the hands down absolute best tomato sauce I've ever tried.  There is something about the sweetness of the onion, the velvety texture from the butter and the freshness from the tomatoes and basil that is quite simply indescribable but one thing is for certain, you just want more!

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Serves 4 - 6

* Note this picture is of a halved recipe

1 28oz can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes with their juices - you can use any canned tomato you can find in your local store but I personally think the San Marzano's have a firmer texture and more flavor.  Publix carries the Cento brand and they are delicious!
4 tablespoons of butter
1 medium yellow onion (sweet or vidalia), peeled and cut in half
1 bunch of chopped fresh basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine the tomatoes, butter and onion together in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Cook, uncovered, at a slow moderate heat for 45 minutes.  Every so often take the back of a wooden spoon and press the tomatoes against the sides of the pan to gently break them apart until you have a chunky consistency (you can also use a potato masher for this).  After 45 minutes and the texture is how you like it, stir in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste.  You can choose to use any fresh herb you like, rosemary, oregano, etc. I just happen to think the sweetness of the basil compliments the sweetness of the onion and tomatoes perfectly.

Remove the onion and serve over your favorite linguine or spaghetti and with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some nice warm, crusty bread.

For the onion lovers (I am not included in this bunch) I have read people, those who obviously hate to waste food, chop up the leftover onion and serve it on toast the next morning with a fried egg on top.  Sounds delicious, I just happen to dislike onions unless they are very finely chopped, texture thing I guess.  If any of you decide to give it a try comment back and let me know, perhaps you can persuade me!

* This recipe can easily be cut in half to feed two people instead of four.  Just buy a 12oz can of tomatoes, use half the onion and only 2 tablespoons of butter.  Same cooking process and time.  The boy and I do this and then fight for the leftovers the following morning.