Rossi Recipe – Pasta on a Cold Snowy Night – Who Needs Ragu? [POLL]

Ordinarily pasta isn’t something we opt for most nights.

But tonight is special.

Tonight the weather is fairly sucky – if you like cold and snowy with a touch of ice in the air.

But the weather’s just right for some comfort food – like say, a nice dish of pasta and homemade sauce.

I say “homemade” because I wonder how many of you reach for the jarred sauce.

In my home, that’s a big “never!!” Not when you can put together a very simple, basic, marinara (proun: mah-ree- NAHD’”).

And you can - here’s what I do.

Start off with a clove of garlic, crush it with a kitchen mallet under some paper towels and peel away the skin.

Heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot, sauté the garlic, but make sure you don’t scorch it. Just allow the garlic to take on a “pinkish” consistency.

What I like to do at this point is add a can of crushed “kitchen ready” tomatoes along with a can of whole peeled tomatoes put through the food processor.
(You could probably crush the plum tomatoes yourself using your hands the way grandma used to do back in the day – but why bother when you have modern day conveniences at your disposal.)

Add some salt, pepper and let that simmer for a while – preferably around 2 or so hours.

Then you go and pick your pasta. Today, since we’re really in the mood for something comfortable – and since the Giants are playing like crap – we need something to take our minds off whatever ails us.

Hence a box of round Pastosa ravioli.

Just before you serve the pasta, add a sprig of basil to the top of the sauce and allow that to steam atop the sauce for a few minutes.

Once the pasta is al-dente, strain the pasta in a “scuolo di pasta” (colander), spread the pasta in a serving dish and spread some sauce onto the pasta.

A’ posto’ (all set!)

That plus a nice glass of red wine, and I’m settling in for a night’s TV viewing.

Remember, it always comes out better and is more satisfying when you make it yourself.

So really, who needs Ragu (or Prego, or any jarred sauce for that matter?)

We’ll talk tomorrow!

Question for you – do you prefer eating sauce from a jar or making your own?