Monday, August 19, 2013

Carb Junkie!

Readers, I'm sure many of you can agree that a great pasta is one of the best things you can eat! I am a bona-fide pasta & potatoe junkie! I can eat them every day(I don't but I could!)! I had such a craving today for marinara sauce so I whipped up my quick & easy sauce which was absolutely wonderful over spaghetti :) This sauce is truly versatile too which is a plus...it can be transformed into 2 other sauces! Vodka sauce is one of my all time faves & most people don't realize how easy it is to make! Jarred sauces, even tho convenient, are so expensive! This sauce will definitely save you some money at the supermarket which is always great. My Grandmother & Mother were the greatest cooks I've known & I can still taste their Sunday gravies but I have never had any luck with trying to replicate them(always the case-never comes out like Mom's!). I came up with this recipe that will satisfy anyone's pasta craving-Italian or not :)
If there is ever a recipe you'd like me to feature here please drop me a note. If you try any of my recipes I'd love to hear your thoughts! Buon Appetito!
Quick & Easy Pasta Sauce: (For 1lb pasta)
Ingredients:
1 can crushed tomatoes(I use Cento)
4 cloves garlic,minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/4c chicken stock
Directions:
1) Heat 12" skillet over medium heat. Add oil & butter.
2) When oil is hot, add onion & garlic. Saute until soft but not brown stirring often. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Season with salt & pepper.
3) Add tomatoes. Raise heat & bring to bubble. Add chicken stock to get to your desired thickness. (Most of the time I don't even add it since I like a thick sauce). Season with salt & pepper.
4) Reduce heat to low & simmer as long as it takes to cook your pasta.
5) Add some chopped fresh basil & serve.

Variations:

Amatriciana Sauce: 
1)Before sauteing onion & garlic, saute 3oz. diced pancetta in 1Tbsp oil until brown but not crisp. Drain on paper towel & reserve the oil. Continue with recipe as directed. In step 3,return the pancetta to the sauce. Serve with your favorite pasta.

Vodka Sauce
1)Make Amatriciana sauce adding 1/2 c. Vodka after sauteing onion & garlic. When adding the tomatoes, increase chicken stock to 1/2 cup. Simmer sauce for 20 minutes. When ready to serve, add 1/2c heavy cream & bring to bubble for 1 minute. Then add basil & toss with pasta

No comments:

Post a Comment