I love
pasta. It's cheap, easy, and with the
right sauce it goes from something ordinary…
To something
extraordinary!
Too many of us
get our pasta sauces from a can or jar.
This is fine if you're not worried about salt or sugar or cost, but if
you are, you might wanna consider making your own. It's easy, cheap, and you can control
everything that goes into it.
This week I'll
be showing you some basic sauces.
Next time I'll
include instructions for how to cook pasta properly, and...
IF you have the
itch, I'll teach you how to make it from scratch.
Basic Tomato
Sauce
Everyone needs
to know how to make tomato sauce. It's cheap, versatile, and easy. You can use
this sauce for almost anything from a topping for pasta, rice, couscous, or
meat, a base for other sauces, a stewing sauce, or by adding a little broth or stock,
you can even use it as a braising liquid for meats. It will keep for 5 to 10
days in the fridge, and up to 6 months in the freezer.
Here's
how you do it
Ingredients
From the pantry:
1 (796
ml/27 ounces) can of Tomatoes - these
can be diced, crushed, or whole, but if you use whole, you may want to break
them up with a wooden spoon in the pot, or in a bowl with your bare hands.
Please note that if you prefer smooth sauces, stick to crushed tomatoes or you
can use a bottle of Passata instead.
1 Teaspoon of Sugar - Some brands of tomatoes
can be quite bitter right out of the can. The sugar will cut some of the
bitterness.
3 Teaspoons of basil or oregano, OR, if
you're feeling really lazy, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of Pesto
3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste (optional)
- this will be a thickener. If you're using tomatoes that are already crushed,
you won't need this, as the sauce will be plenty thick without it.
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
From the fridge
1 Onion - peeled, the tough bit at the
end removed, and chopped into tiny pieces
Hot sauce - optional
Equipment
1
Medium Sized Pot with Lid
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Knife and Cutting Board
Measuring
Spoons
1 Sieve (Optional)
Put the olive
oil in your pot and heat it over medium-high heat.
Watch the olive
oil carefully.
When small heat
waves start rising off the surface and/or the oil slides easily around in the
pot, dump in your onions.
Move the onions
around with a wooden spoon until they're soft and translucent. See the image below.
Dump in your
canned tomatoes or passata, your sugar, your basil or oregano or Pesto, and
season it with a little salt and pepper.
Add the tomato paste (if using) and give it a stir with a wooden
spoon. Bring it to a boil, meaning that
the contents of the pot have started to bubble.
Put the heat on low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1/2 an hour, uncovering
it every once in awhile to stir it with the wooden spoon to prevent the bottom
from burning.
Taste your
sauce. If you don't like the taste,
adjust it with salt and pepper or sugar.
If you like it spicy, add some hot sauce. If it's too runny, add tomato paste. If it's
too thick, add water.
This sauce is
now ready.
You can now use
it for whatever you wish, or if you want it extra smooth, push it through the
sieve or strainer using a wooden spoon. See the image below.
Yields about 4
Cups of Sauce.
Meat
sauce
This is another
sauce that is ridiculously easy to make.
All you need to do is make the tomato sauce above, then add cooked meat
to it. The type of meat is really up to
you, I suggest the ground beef you keep in your freezer, but some say that a
combination of ground meats i.e. veal,
beef, and pork is the best. If you want
extra flavor and you're feeling really
lazy, you can use sausage removed from its casings and browned in a pot or pan.
This will keep in the freezer for 3 to 4 months, and in the fridge for 4 days.
Here's
how you do it
Ingredients
One batch of tomato sauce (see the recipe
above)
From the fridge or freezer
1 small pack of ground beef (if you have
individually wrapped frozen portions, use 1 or 2, thawed)OR a combination of
ground meats, OR if you're feeling really
lazy, 2 to 4 sausages removed from their outer skins aka casings. To do this,
carefully slit the surface of the sausage length wise with a small sharp/paring
knife, and peel it off the meat. The type of sausage is really up to you,
Italian sausage, be it mild or spicy, would be traditional, but anything you
have or that is on sale is fine. The amount of meat is up to you. Some like a
thick meaty sauce, some like one that's more tomato-ey.
From the pantry
Salt and pepper - If you're using
sausage, DON'T use the salt. Sausage has tons.
1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Oil - If your pot or pan is non
stick, this is unnecessary, as the meat will cook on its own fat. If the
cooking vessel is not, use the oil to get the meat started and to keep it from
sticking.
Equipment
One pot
or pan
1 strainer
1 wooden spoon
If you're using
oil, heat it in the pot or pan, and then add your meat.
Cook your meat
of choice in the pot or pan on medium high heat, breaking it up with your
wooden spoon and seasoning it with salt and pepper (if not using sausage). Stir
it around with a wooden spoon until it is brown and cooked through. Turn off
the heat.
Drain it in the
strainer. This will get rid of excess
fat and water.
Add it back to
your pot and dump in your tomato sauce, turn on the heat to medium high for 5 minutes
so that it all comes together, stirring the whole thing with a wooden spoon,
and you're ready to go!
Yields about 5
cups of sauce.
Rosé
sauce
I think it's
safe to assume Rosé Sauce is named for its pink-ish color. This is another
sauce you can make using the tomato sauce above as a base. The only difference is cream, but I add
butter and garlic for extra flavor. This
one is great with pasta, gnocchi, shrimp, scallops, lobster, or over cooked
chicken breast or fish. The sauce will keep about 3 to 4 days in the fridge,
but I'd recommend using it same day if possible.
Here's
how you do it
Ingredients
2 Cups of Tomato Sauce (see the recipe
above)
From the fridge
1 Cup (250 mls) of Whipping or Cooking
cream
3 Cloves of Garlic - peeled, the tough woody bit at the end
removed, and cut into tiny pieces
2 Tablespoons of Butter
From the Pantry
Salt and Pepper - to taste
1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste - Optional
If ya wanna get fancy
A tablespoon or two of White Cooking Wine
- it will add even extra richness, but it isn't necessary
1/4 Teaspoon of Pesto... for decoration
later on
Equipment
1 Pot
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Knife and Cutting Board
Heat the butter
in the pan on medium heat until it's melted and bubbling slightly. Move the pan
or pot around so the butter coats the bottom and dump in your garlic. Move the
garlic around with a wooden spoon until its soft and smells good. See the image
below.
Now you can dump
in your tomato sauce, stirring it around until the butter and garlic is
incorporated, and the sauce is heated through.
Slowly add the
cream, stirring it around with a wooden spoon as you do. Bring it to a boil,
stirring constantly until the sauce has come together, and has turned pink. See the images below.
You can now use
it on pasta on any of the other aforementioned items.
Yields 3 or 4 Cups of sauce.
![]() |
Gnocchi Rose with a little Pesto and Parmesan |
Cheaters' Cream Sauce
![]() |
Pasta with Cheaters' Cream Sauce |
The late
comedian Mitch Hedberg once said that fettuccini alfredo is macaroni and cheese
for adults.
And he was
right.
It's basically
pasta with a more grown up cheese sauce. Rather than mucking about with butter
and cream to make the perfect cheese sauce, I came up with a cheaters' version
that looks fancy, but is hundred
times easier to make. Since mac and cheese tends to dry out and is rarely as good
the next day, I'd make and serve this same day. Serves 2 to 4 depending on appetites.
Here's
how you do it
Ingredients
From the Fridge
1/2 a Cup of Plain Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Pesto
Parmesan or Romano cheese, to serve with
From the Pantry
1/2 a Package of Pasta (about 450 grams)
- you can measure it using your trusty food scale - any long variety will do,
but if you want to duplicate fettuccini alfredo, you'll need fettuccini of
course
From the Pot used to cook your pasta
1/2 a Cup of the Water used to cook the
pasta - You can scoop this out of the pot while the pasta is boiling, and drain
off the rest when the pasta is ready when the pasta is ready. This will smooth
out the sauce and allow it to stick to the pasta.
Equipment
1 Large Pot
1 Set of tongs
1 Regular Bowl to keep the reserved pasta
water in
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup
1 Ladle
Strainer or sieve - to drain the pasta
Cook your
pasta. While it's boiling, scoop out 2 ladlefuls
of the cooking liquid into a bowl.
When the pasta
is ready, drain it using the strainer.
Dump it back in
the pot and add the cream cheese, pesto, and pasta water. See the images below.
Turn the heat
back on to medium, and stir everything around until the cream cheese is melted
and everything evenly coats the pasta.
You're now ready
to serve!
For The
Bacon Lovers: Pasta Carbonara aka Bacon and Egg Pasta
I love bacon. It's cheap, it's salty, it's
smoky, and a little goes a very long way. Like eggs, I consider it a staple for
people who need a little protein and fat in their diets, but can't afford to
buy much meat.
This pasta sauce
combines two of our favorite things: bacon and eggs.
It's delicious,
quick to prepare, and easy...
Here's
how you do it
Ingredients
From the Fridge
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup of Cream
2 Tablespoons of the Grated Parmesan or
Romano cheese, plus more to serve it with
From the Freezer
3 Strips of Bacon, thinly sliced
From the Pantry
Salt and Pepper (the latter, ideally
freshly ground) - to taste
1/2 a Pack (450 g) of any long variety
pasta i.e. spaghetti, fettuccini, linguine
From the Tap
2 Tablespoons of Water + More to cook
your pasta in
Equipment
1 Metal Mixing Bowl
1 Whisk
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
1 Large Pot
1 Set of Tongs
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Frying Pan
1 Ordinary Plate
1 Clean Paper or Tea Towel
1 Strainer
Fill your pot
with lots of water, add about a tablespoon of salt, and put it on high heat.
When it's boiling, add your pasta and lower the temperature to about medium.
While the pasta
is boiling, put your bacon in a frying pan with a tablespoon of water and turn
the heat on to medium high, stirring it occasionally with a wooden spoon. The
water will allow the bacon to cook evenly. Once the water evaporates, continue
stirring with a wooden spoon until the fat comes out of the bacon (this process
is called "rendering"), and it's brown around the edges. See the
image below.
Turn off the
heat, and put the bacon bits on a tea or paper towel lined plate to get rid of
excess fat.
While the bacon
is draining, crack 2 eggs into a mixing bowl, add your cream, a little salt
(say 1/2 a teaspoon), and a lot of pepper (say about a tablespoon, but the
amount is really up to you), 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan or Romano cheese and
whisk the heck out of it. See the image below.
Drain your pasta
using the strainer BUT DO NOT RINSE IT!
You need the extra starch on the freshly boiled pasta to allow the sauce to
properly adhere.
Dump the hot
pasta into your bowl with the egg and cream mixture and quickly toss it with
your tongs, coating the pasta as evenly as possible. The
heat from the pasta will cook the eggs and make for a nice creamy sauce.
Add your bacon
and toss again. See the image below.
You are now
ready to serve. Serves 2 to 4 Depending on appetites, and should be made and served same day.
Enjoy!
Next time I'll be tackling pasta itself, gnocchi, and meatballs.
So stick around!
-Samantha R. Gold
Questions? Comments? Requests?
Bring it on!
I can be reached at: for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com
Trolls will be unceremoniously
deleted and dismissed.
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