Mobo123

I am so tired of using Ragu. I doctor it up but still, it sucks. I have tried various other recipes i found off the web but does anybody have real favorites? I would love to see them.

zen_tom

How are you with pesto? It's better with linguine, or some other type of flat pasta, but spaggetti is good too. If you feel like a treat, you can even make it from fresh ingredients, which always makes it taste even better.

zen_tom

Fresh Pesto:
Pine Nuts
Fresh Basil Leaves
Garlic Clove
Olive Oil
Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Snip a few leaves into the bowl of a pestle + mortar till it's perhaps 1/4 full, pour in a similar amount of pine kernals, add chopped clove, a dash of olive oil and mash it all up till you've got a beautiful green mush. Now grate the *fresh* parmesan into the mixture and mix it in - the smell should be making your mouth water by now, so it's best to have put the pasta on about 5 minutes earlier so that you can immediately take it out, drain it, and mix in your freshly made pesto sauce. Lightly coat the pasta with the sauce and tuck in. It's quick and it's fabulous. Let me know if you try it out!

Mobo123

pesto's good stuff. hadnt thought of that. thanks tried to make it once and it came out awful. i am gun shy when it comes to cooking, hence ragu as the starter.

ScottKuma

My EASY spaghetti sauce:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-large yellow onion
1.5 lbs Ground Chuck or Round
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper

2 large cans of diced tomatoes in juice
2 large cans of tomato sauce
1 large can of tomato paste

dried basil leaves
dried oregano leaves

----

Put the olive oil into a non-stick skillet, heat over medium heat. Put the onion into the skillet once the oil comes up to temperature. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Sautee the onion until it softens and begins to become transparent. Add the garlic. Sautee for 30 seconds more.

Add the beef & some salt & pepper; break up into smallish chunks while you brown the beef. Drain off any excess fat.

In a large stockpot/dutch oven, combine all of the tomato products & place over medium heat. Sprinkle herbs into the sauce (I never measure, I just cover the top to some degree, let it cook for a bit, then check the taste).

Cook for 30 minutes or until the pot is bubbling hot.


YUM.

Oh, and when I cook, I want to have enough for a week -- so this makes a LOT. For an intimate dinner, halve the recipe.

aberkok

ScottKuma's recipe will rock.

Just as an aside, I remember learning to make sauce from watching the "Godfather." Michael's in the kitchen when one of the other goons comes up to him to teach him how to make sauce. It's actually a great recipe! Pretty close to ScottKuma's.

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ScottKuma

Crap - forgot the most important part...

Canned tomatoes are a bit more acidic than I like. To offset this acidity, I throw in between a quarter and a half-cup of sugar. Use your judgement. It really helps the overall flavor of the sauce.

(I learned this sauce from my mother. She never puts the sugar into the sauce, and she's always amazed that my sauce turns out better than hers. Don't tell her my secret, ok?)

Clark

One day I was trying to stay away from sugar in my food so instead I added Becks Dark (I know beer is so much better for me). It turned out grate. I use about 1/2 of a bottle for the above.

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ScottKuma

Beer would probably be very good in this - as would a nice red wine. They both end up doing the same thing: adding the sugar that I'm talking about, above.

It may well be sacrilege, but I have found that a small bottle of Riunite Lambrusco -- the kind that comes in a "four-pack" -- is the perfect size to add to the sauce.

Besides which, I like the Lambrusco. *shrug*

aberkok

See? I told you the Godfather recipe is good! They used sugar to offset the acidity in that sauce too!

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ScottKuma

I just hope that Don Corlione doesn't come looking for me...

kutulu

when using canned tomatoes, I use whole peeled tomatoes rather than diced tomatoes. I also remove all the seeds. You can get away with not using tomato sauce or paste in the recipe.

sapphire

I got this one from my mom:

Garlic Lover's

Sautee 5 minced cloves of garlic in oil, for about 1 min, add basil (1 tsp.) a little salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and a 28oz can of diced tomatoes. Boil; then simmer for about 10 mins., till thick.

Its really good

fatbob

pesto is the dogs...
carbonara is piss easy and real tasty too. ask and i can show ye how.

but the best quick pasta sauce has got to be something with seafood.
eg:
onion, garlic, olive oil, white wine, in pan soften...
add seafood, for me salomon chunks, clams, mussels, capers...fry a bit then chuck in cooked pasta and mix up. add some parmazan (spelling? sorry can't spell for shit...) and chopped parsley and then serve with glass of white wine.

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ScottKuma

Ooh, that sounds good...and simple, too!! I might have to try that one.

Mobo123

well, dinner is planned for tonight thanks guys.

ScottKuma

Might I ask: which are you using?

RCAlyra2004

My Fav recipe... feel free to experiement... remember that you can change the amount of tomato sauce to your liking... I measure thes things by the palmfull except for the garlic, and cloves. I usually use a whol can of toato sauce.

Tomato sauce
Pine Nuts
Fresh Basil Leaves
Garlic Clove
Olive Oil
Fresh Parmesan Cheese

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Suave

This is brand name, but: Prego. I love it. Even without adding any spices I love it. Also, to make anything Italian better, add garlic and cayenne pepper (the pepper can be added to absolutely EVERYTHING).

Also a good seasoner: Krazy Salt.

pixelbend

I always make my own pasta sauce, but I never measure anything.

Mine goes something like this:
in a medium sauce pan heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom
add about 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp (or to taste, I've been known to go heavy on the garlic) of minced garlic and let brown (not burn!)
add a chopped medium onion and cook until the onion becomes translucent
season with kosher salt, fresh pepper, basil, parsley, and paprika
add 1 can of chopped tomatoes with the juice and 1 can of tomato paste (the small one)
add about 1/2 to 1 cup of red wine (read: as much vino as ya like)
add about 1/4 cup of white or brown sugar (brown adds a bit of a twang, but it's nice)
cook down for about 20-30 minutes stirring every now and then.

You could add meatballs, or not. Put it on your pasta, get a good crusty french bread and toast then rub it down with roasted garlic and butter and enjoy.

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maleficent

Leave out the tomato sauce, and you've got an awesome pesto sauce there... (plenty yummy mixed into tomato sauce, heavenly on it's own)

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Mobo123

I used yours last night. It was great! Even my 10 year old who doesnt like to eat at all loved it. I will be trying the rest of the recipes over the next week. thanks guys

yellowchef

I dont cook at home. Im tired of food.

anyways if you want something besides marinara or a red sauce, try a mornay(cheesy bechamel)

anyways Im tired, I work tomorrow.

Sorry. Ive been working a week straight.

martinguerre

did a white sauce last night...went well.

start with a roux...using bacon fat or butter, preferably a 50/50 mix.

add half and half, .5 cup. add chicken stock 1 cup.

add 1 cup white wine, reduce.

Add a little more cream as needed, finish with asiago or parmesean cheese.

Serve immediately.

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avernus

Here is a paraphrased Jamie Oliver recipe:

Heat some oil in a pan, throw in some crushed dried chilli and stir for a few seconds. Add some sliced onions and fry till transparent. Add garlic, thyme and some thinly sliced broccoli. Cover and cook on med-low heat until tender. Meanwhile boil some pasta, drain but retain a few teaspoons of the water and mix with contents of pan. Parmesan and tuck in!

David

RMMsGirl

I use this recipe all the time, I got it from my Aunt.. She just used tomato paste and puree.. I also add tomato sauce.

Recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs:

For the sauce:
2 cans of tomato paste (the bigger cans)
1 large can of tomato puree
parmasean cheese
garlic salt
black pepper
If it's too thick, add water.

For the meatballs:
ground beef
parmasean cheese
garlic salt
black pepper
parsley flakes
diced onion
1 egg
1 squirt of ketchup
1 shot of milk
Italian seasoned bread crumbs (enough to make it stick)

Mix sauce, add water, stir, add seasonings stir.

Mix meatballs, roll them, put in sauce, cook for a few hours to make sure meatballs get done.

parsley flakes
diced onion

maleficent

Occassionally I like something different to toss on pasta... and I'll make a quick white clam sauce.

Throw a little bit of olive oil in a pan with as much garlic as you like... (I like lots) Toss the garlic around a little. Throw in a can of minced or chopped clams, with sauce. Splash in 1/2 glass or so of a dry white wine (If I wouldn't drink it, I wouldn't cook wiht it - I like a Sauvignon Blanc for this recipe because it's light) Throw in a handful of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley. Heat thru.

Takes about 5 minutes including chopping.

Serve over pasta

You could makes this a red clam sauce by adding in some red sauce to it.

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yellowchef

ok this is your BASIC bechamel(feel free to add cheese, red wine...white wine...) at your discretion (bechamel tastes well pretty plain) so add something.

roux(equal parts fat and flour)
melt the fat mix in the flour till thick and bubbly dont make it brown or anything because bechamel is white, if your roux is brown.. start over and use your brown roux for something else like a gravy. If it smells distinctly nutty or like buttered popcorn(if you use butter) then youre good and dont cook your damn roux any more.

for this you need a whisk and I cant stress this enough buy a damn sturdy freakin whisk and its pretty useful for everything. No flimsy crap because you'll just be screaming when your sauce comes out wrong. Theyre not but like $5 maybe $10 at a kitchen store(ie Williams Sonoma, Lechters, your local restaurant supply store, Wal Mart and Target even) and if kept out of the dishwasher and washed and dried asap they last forever.

add/whisk in milk(into the roux) until the mixture is thick like a potato soup.. continue to whisk but do not add more milk and cook the flour.. see how thick it is.. if it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon this is how you test for the right consistancy.. run your finger in a line down the spoon and if the line stays(the sauce does not fill in the line) youre good...

now add your gruyere(shredded) cheese, or parmesean.. or whatever..add as much as you like, though uh it will make your sauce very thick so beware before you go dumping it all in at once.. add a little at a time

you also need salt(kosher) and pepper(preferably white)

there you go sauce mornay. total yum on veggies, pasta... etc

avernus

@yellowchef - thanks for the howto on bechamel sauce, I've read instruction in other cookbooks but yours was better! I was never sure how to tell when I had added enough milk and now I know

pixelbend

I couldn't agree more about the whisk:

Always this:
<p>

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<p>
Never this:
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yellowchef

I dont know why people are like "I cant cook" and then I see their kitchen and theres nothing in it. Im not saying you gotta be all hot shit like me(and by no means am I hot shit but I looove me some Williams Sonoma) but quality cookware isnt always expensive. Target(and even wal mart) have good sturdy pans that can be bought as a set or individually. I have many pots, of various sizes and what not but a big 5qt stockpot heavy bottom(nothing flimsy) and good handles, a 12" skillet, a 6" omlette pan
cast iron skillet(if in your budget.. if not put a buck or 2 aside each week to get one) a 3 quart saucepan.. and some pyrex glass baking dishes but the flimsy cake pan, the dented scratched used to be non stick skillet that was $3 at K mart.. no good. just make sure you really feel it will withstand the test of time

just invest wisely.. a well equipped kitchen (small or large) is usually worth it.

avernus

Too right. I think one of the most important things are a good set of knives. IMO you only really need three - a good french or german style knife (long), a shortish paring knife and a serated bread knife. These knife blocks you get are no good at all. There is NOTHING more annoying than a bendy, blunt knife when slicing onions. I do however have an issue with sharpening - I have a whetstone but its a bit of a skill using it correctly and not damaging the bevel. That is using it at the correct angle. What do you find works best?

David

pixelbend

Yeah, everytime I watch the knife episode of Good Eats I wonder, "Why doesn't that knive shaprening guy come around here?" It would be worth a few bucks to get them back to razor sharpness.
Oh, and I have found that the Martha Stewart knives at K-Mart are pretty darn good.

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avernus

I used to live in Portugal in the early nineties and most small towns were visited by a knife sharpener. He cycled in and used a instrument to annouce his presence (piccolo I think) whereupon everyone came out of their houses with their knives and scissors to get them sharpened, which he did using a spinning whetstone. Don't get services like that in many places anymore!

yellowchef

check for like sword shops, knife shops(collectors you know) and if all else fails go to a restaurant and ask the chef. If you cant do that see if you have a restaurant supply store in town and ask them.

the angle is 20 degrees, you should also have a steel. Target sells Chicago Cutlery for not a lot and it isnt the BEST but it is sturdy. Look for heavy stainless steel(or in my case soon to be ceramic!) knives. Make sure you can see the tang(where the steel from the blade runs into the handle) and that it is rivited in the handle. In traditional sets the block is sold seperate from the knives unless you're willing to invest several hundred dollars at once for the full set in the block.

Like in the Good Eats Knife Episode it doesnt have to be expensive, it just needs to be durable and feel good in your hand. I HATE the knives the school issued to me, and I only use them when I have to, otherwise Im pimpin the Globals, a couple Wusthofs, and some random henkles someone left behind and I scooped up(am I going to hell or what?)

when I say heavy I dont mean like weighs a ton, but I also dont mean that its 99% plastic either.

as far as the whitestone is it WET when you use it.. also dont worry too much about the beveling..you should be able to get a GREAT edge if you have a steel and you use it before each use and after each sharpening.

onodrim

I've never made my own sauce from scratch, but I buy Bertoli's brand, and I've always been very happy with it. The Garlic and Olive Oil flavor is particularily great.

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Val_1

I either make a sauce from scratch (simuliar to Scottkuma's, depending on what I have in the kitchen) or, if I"m feeling lazy, I use Barilla brand. But, if you buy sauce, read the label. As a rule of thumb, the fewer ingrediants they have, the better sauce it is. For tomato sauce, there's no reason they need to be adding "partially hydrogenated" anything. People have been making red sauce for hundreds of years without it.

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avernus

I generally wet the whetstone with oil or water. My father uses a strop to get his knife sharp but I find it hard to get a burr. You have to pay for classy knives, perhaps when I finally stop being a student I'll be able to splash out on these things!

duck0987

When it comes to cast iron, I buy exclusively from yard sales, as this is unrelated, I'll start a new thread.

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RoboBlaster

Nifty coincidence: The episode of Good Eats that deals with knives is also the spisode that deals with tomato sauce. Like this thread.

Oh, and in ScottKuma's recipe, how big are the large cans? 28 oz or 15oz?