PASTA SAUCES

We grew up in an Italian/Jewish neighborhood. Pasta sauce was something that was the pride of both Jewish and Italian homes. No one would admit to even occasionally buying store made sauce! In fact, in our home we would laugh at those unfortunate folks who thought spaghetti with ketchup was a meal. (We still shudder at even the thought of that one!)

We had some super close friends who were “old world” Italians, and they made fresh “gravy” every Sunday. Maybe they rubbed off on our mom, because over the years her own sauces grew more adventurous and more complex. We eventually learned that are many different kinds of sauce:

MARINARA Highly seasoned tomato based sauce made with onions, garlic, basil and oregano.

TOMATO BASIL Take out the garlic, add extra basil and there you go. Our mom used to put in chunks of tomato and onion.

FRA DIAVOLO The devil’s sauce is loaded with red pepper.

ARRABBIATA The “angry” sauce is spicy but not especially hot.

PUTTANESCA This one is often called Mediterranean sauce and is a favorite of Southern Italians. This sauce often includes capers, olives, onions, garlic and whatever else you can find in the fridge.

VODKA As it says. This one was not found in our home when we were growing up. Then again, it is a relatively new one!

BOLOGNESE This is, quite simply, a thick sauce with chopped meat added to it.

So, there you have it- a short course in sauce. Study the list. Memorize it. There will be a test!
(RJR)