Detective Malcolm Kier, the hero of my February book MERCILESS, has been one of my favorite characters since he first appeared in I’M WATCHING YOU. He is not only smart, savvy and a little dangerous, but he can cook. Raised by parents who own an Italian restaurant, he grew up in the restaurant kitchens chopping, dicing and stirring. He would never eat a frozen pizza and runs from any sauce that comes from a jar. His specialty is a killer marinara sauce on fresh pasta. In case you want to try Malcolm’s marinara sauce (okay, it’s really mine) I’m passing on the recipe.
The Sauce
2 T Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Carrots, diced
2 Cans of Tomatoes
1 Cup of Red Wine
1-2 Cups of Chicken Stock
Salt
Sugar to taste
Fresh Oregano
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and toss in diced onion and carrot. Cook the carrot and onion until soft. Add tomatoes, red wine and chicken stock. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Puree sauce with a hand blender. Caution you can do this in a blender but just puree a little at a time. Too much hot sauce in a blender can lead to hot marinara exploding all over you and your kitchen cabinets. (Heed my warning…I learned this lesson the hard way.) Once pureed add salt, and sugar to taste. Mix in freshly chopped oregano. Serve over fresh pasta.
This is a great sauce that works on pasta, pizza dough and breaded chicken cutlets.