now picnic

Here's a recipe for perhaps the best pasta sauce, in the world!
from Fine Cooking, perhaps the best cooking magazine, in the world!

for 8 oz pasta (i love Rustichella's handmade orecchiette for this! Penne is also good, but anything works.)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 small cloves garlic, minced

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes + their juice (Muir Glen have awesome tomatoes.)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or half, if dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or half, if dried)
1/4 teaspoon (or more) dried red chile flakes

1/4 cup vodka (not $$$, but don't use it if you wouldn't drink it.)
1/3 cup chicken or veggie stock, if you've got it.

1/3 to 2/3 cup heavy cream (not milk! milk may break up due to the acidity!)
salt & pepper

optional garnishes:
coarsely chopped parsley
freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, if you've got it

0. Bring the pasta water to a boil, with non-iodized salt in the water (1.5 Tablespoons or so for every 3 quarts of water). Use lots of water! Don't used iodized salt. It doesn't taste as good. I recommend using a cheapish Kosher Salt (Morton's, Diamond Crystal) for stuff like this. When the water boils, cook the pasta... don't wait. Leave the pasta a bit firm, since it will cook with the sauce a little at the end. Don't rinse the pasta: the starch on the pasta will help the sauce to stick.

1. Heat the olive oil, in a pretty big pan (the pasta will eventually be in the pan as well) until it sizzles when you add a drop of water. Then add the onions and garlic. Saute them until they begin to brown.

2. Add the tomatoes + juice, and the herbs and chili flakes. Cook until simmering.

3. Add the vodka and broth, if you have it. Bring the sauce to a simmer again and let some of the vodka simmer off. Let the sauce reduce a bit until it looks like you would put it on pasta, instead of serve it as soup... maybe 5-10 minutes? It's up to you.

4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper (make sure to taste it! and salt! and taste again!) and add the cream. Don't boil the sauce once you have added the cream. Taste the sauce again, after the cream has been added, and see if you need any more salt.

5. This is important! Don't just plop the pasta on the plates and then put the sauce on top. Take the pasta, which is done cooking and not rinsed, and put the pasta in the pan with the sauce. Cook the two together for a minute or two -- this allows the sauce to be absorbed into the pasta. Yum. Serve with the parsley and cheese, if you like.

// posted by kc @  10:18 PM   0 comments