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Chocolate dipped strawberries

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Marinara Sauce

If you have been following my blog posts, by now you would be knowing that i'm a great fan of Italian and Thai delicacies apart from my home country food which is Indian cuisine. The very first time i tried pasta soup in one of my office food courts, i just felt meh! and just distanced myself far away from the word pasta. It was until that day in New york city where i was forced to have a lunch in one of the popular Italian diners. Since then there was no going back - i opt to eat in Italian outlets and ofcourse anyone and everyone would love pizza no matter what.



The first step being liking the food and tasting it given a chance but never had this thought of learning and cooking a good pasta at home. I always relied on my roommate to make alfredo pasta. She makes quite good pasta for our dinner, though she uses the store brought alfredo sauce. By then alfredo pasta alone is my favorite and not any other variety. Gradually i fell in love with the other options like marinara, basil pesto, avocado pesto :) My heart just pounds with joy as i type this because it brings back those good old memories of pasta and friends in NYC. I have made quite a few attempts in making marinara pasta till date and the last time i made was a big hit as i love every bite of the pasta made using the marinara sauce.



Ingredients:

3 ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
100 ml water

Steps:

To a mixer add roughly chopped tomatoes .



Blend until smooth.



Heat a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil.



Once the oil gets warm, add chopped garlic. Saute for a minute on low flame.



Add tomato puree.



Add water and let it cook on medium flame.



Add red chili flakes, have used the seeds to enhance the spice. You can totally omit the flakes/seeds if you are not a great fan of spicy sauce.



After 8-10 minutes you will see the tomatoes getting cooked and start releasing oil. At this stage add dried oregano.



Keep stirring until thick.Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving bowl.



Serve the marinara sauce as a dip for chips or bread sticks or garlic bread. You can also top cooked pasta with marinara sauce or just make marinara pasta using it.



This will surely make your toddler happy as it can be used as a dip for their snacks or veggie sticks.



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