A Week of Pasta – Sauce Recipes
My comfort food is Spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, chili and pinenuts. It is perfect in summer and winter alike – you can eat it in the sunshine in the garden or in front of the fire on a dark winter night. The aroma of the fried garlic shifting through the kitchen makes your mouth water. But there are of course many many sauces you can serve with a bowl and I have selected my favourite ones. Most of them are dead easy to make and are perfect for a midweek dinner. As I love spaghetti, I use these but you can use any type.
My sauces are based on Italian classics but the way I cook them – I apologise deeply to all Italians for any cardinal crime I am committing. The result, I think is worth the scathing I might get. Also, if you toss the pasta into the sauce or the sauce into the pasta is your choice. A passionate Italian cook told me once that the pasta goes into the sauce to be tossed around with a good portion of parmesan or pecorino. But with all things in cooking – it is up to you what you like most. (The video clips are also available on Bia Sásta YouTube Channel). This post will be updated during the next few days, so come back to see more recipes.
A Week of Pasta – Sauce Recipes
Tomato & Chili Sauce (Arrabiata)
Serves 2:
250g Passata
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tbsp tomato paste
150ml dry white wine
1-2 red chilies (depends on how spicy you like it)
Salt & Pepper
pinch of sugar
cooked pasta for 2 (cooked according to packaging instructions)
Parmesan cheese
Fresh Basil
Place the passata, garlic, tomato paste and wine in a pan. Make a cut into the chilies (you can also chop them if you like it more spicy) and add to the pan. Over a medium heat, bring the tomato sauce to the boil. Season to taste and add a pinch of sugar (brings out the tomato flavour). In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Remove the chili (if you haven’t chopped them into the sauce), drain the pasta. Serve the pasta and sauce in a bowl, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and fresh basil.
Enjoy x
Spaghetti Alio e Olio
Nowt his is my favourite dish and again, dead easy but ever so flavoursome. You really need to watch the pan when the garlic fries away as it burns easily and you will have to start over again as the bitterness will kill the dish.
Serves 2
30ml olive oil
1/2 bulb of garlic
1 red chili (or more if you like more heat)
handful of fresh parsley
30g pinenuts
Parmesan cheese
Cooked pasta for 2 (cooked according to packaging instructions)
Slice the garlic, de-seed and slice the chili finely. Chop the parsley. Pour the oil into a frying pan and add the garlic, chili and pinenuts. Over a medium heat, fry the garlic until just cooked.
In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
Add about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid to the garlic, cook until reduced by 2/3 (again, taking care not to burn the garlic). Take pan off the heat, add the parsley, stir to combine. Add the cooked pasta and parmesan cheese and toss until pasta is well coated.
Serve and enjoy xx
