Eric Akis: Homemade pesto, marinara, bolognese may turn you off store-bought varieties

Eric Akis / Times Colonist
January 22, 2013

Clockwise from left, marinara, bolognese, pesto and alfredo sauces.

As far as food products go, one line that has expanded greatly over the years is bottled and canned pasta sauce. Several companies now make them in a range of flavours and they occupy a good chunk of real estate in supermarkets.

Convenience explains their popularity and it’s understandable. All home cooks have to do is open the can or jar and heat and serve the sauce over, or toss it with, their favourite pasta.

I must admit I use these sauces and have featured them in past recipes. That, in turn, has sometimes made me forget that making pasta sauce at home is not exactly rocket science. Often, all its takes is a few quality ingredients and a bit of time and before you know it you’ve created something heavenly.

Making it myself also fills my kitchen with the most wonderful aromas. It also lets me know the exact quality of ingredients going into my creation, something that’s difficult to judge in store-bought pasta sauces, particularly those sold at bargain-basement prices.

To demonstrate what I mean, today I give you four recipes for easy-to-make, yet superbly delicious, sauces you can toss into and/or spoon over your favourite pasta, whether its linguini, fettuccini, rigatoni or other shapes.

The sauces include rich and addictive alfredo sauce, meaty and hearty bolognese sauce, rich-red marinara sauce, and vibrant green, walnut-rich pesto, made with three herbs, cheese, olive oil and garlic. Once you try them, you may never go back to store-bought sauce, or at least not as often.

Rich and Cheesy Alfredo Sauce

This sauce, rich with butter, olive oil, cream and cheese, is best used soon after making, when most fluid, hot and irresistible. Toss with, or spoon over your favourite pasta, such as fettuccini, linguini or tortellini.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: About 8 to 10 minutes
Makes: 3 cups (4 to 6 servings of sauce when spooned over or tossed with pasta)

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated asiago cheese (about 75 grams)
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Place the butter and oil in heavy-bottomed, small to medium-sized pot and set over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook 1 minute, until fragrant and just slightly golden.

Add the cream, bring mixture to a simmer, and simmer until cream has reduced by a quarter and thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. (Be careful to watch and ensure cream doesn’t bubble over the top of the pot while simmering.) Mix in the cheeses and stir and heat until both are melted and a smooth sauce is created. Season sauce with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and it’s ready to use.

Three-Herb Walnut Pesto

Three fresh herbs, walnuts, cheese, olive oil and garlic give this pesto a wonderful depth of flavour. Toss it, to taste, into hot cooked pasta, or use to flavour other pasta sauces, such as cream or tomato-based ones. This recipe could be doubled, something you may wish to do if freezing some of the pesto for later use.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: none
Makes: 1 1⁄3 cups

2 cups loosely packed Italian parsley sprigs
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
3 medium garlic cloves, sliced
1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not the dried powdered stuff)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients, except oil, in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the oil and process until well blended. Add a bit more oil if you find the pesto too thick. Refrigerate the pesto in a tightly sealed jar with a skim of olive oil on top. It will keep about 10 days. Pesto could also be frozen in small tubs or ice cube trays for up to two months.

Bolognese Sauce

This rich and hearty meat-based pasta sauce is flecked with vegetables, herbs and spices. A last-minute addition of milk rounds out its flavour. Spoon the sauce over servings of pasta, such as spaghetti, rigatoni, tortellini, ravioli or gnocchi.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: About 45 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 servings of sauce

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz./398 mL) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch crushed chili flakes
Pinch granulated sugar
Pinch fennel seed optional
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup 2 per cent or whole milk

Place the beef, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in a pot over medium heat. Cook and stir until the meat is cooked through. Carefully drain the excess fat from the pot.

Add the remaining ingredients, except salt, black pepper and milk. Bring to a gentle simmer. Gently simmer, partially covered (don’t completely cover; steam needs to escape) for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until thickened and rich in colour. Mix in the milk. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and it’s ready to use.

Marinara Sauce

This simple but inviting sauce sees canned tomatoes simmered and blended with garlic, onion and herbs. Ladle over servings of your favourite pasta shape, or use as the sauce for things such as meatballs, chicken Parmigiana and pizza. This recipe could be doubled, something you may wish to do if freezing some of the marinara sauce for later use
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: About 35 minutes
Makes: About 7 cups

2 (28-oz/798 mL) canned whole tomatoes (see Note)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, half and thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch granulated sugar
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the tomatoes and their juice in a bowl. Use your hands to squash and break them into chunks.
Heat the oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until both are fragrant and light golden, about 4 minutes.

Add the squashed tomatoes in the bowl, oregano and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer, loosely cover (steam must be allowed to escape), and simmer 30 minutes. Stir the basil into the sauce and cook 1 minute more.

Purée the sauce in a blender or food processor, or right in the pot with an immersion blender. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper, as needed.

The sauce is ready to use. It could also be cooled and saved for another time. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The sauce could also frozen for up to 2 months.

Note: For the finest tasting sauce, use the best canned tomatoes you can buy, such as Italian San Marzano plum (roma) tomatoes. You can buy this type of canned tomato at Italian-style food stores and delis.

eakis@timescolonist.com

Eric Akis is the author of the just-published hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.