To share with you the best pasta sauce recipe ever

[brightonroc]

It's the most simple sauce ever and it's amazing!

Chop an onion super small (put in blender if you can until almost mush)

Fry for 3 mins

Add a finely chopped garlic clove

Fry for 2 mins

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes

Add 100mls water and a chicken stock cube

Stir

Cook for 10-30mins

Add handful chopped basil

Pepper to taste

done

Enjoy!!

some hobs are deliberately make with 2 x large 2 x medium.

My previous had 2 x large 1 x med 1 x small which I preferred.

You can get an iron simmering ring to put on top if it's gas.

I had sage and butter filled pasta in a little village in Italy once; it was the one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten, but I’ve never managed to replicate it.

MIL was Italian. She taught me how to cook all types of Italian food and wrote down them for me. She never used measures just knew what amount to put it.

As there main meal of the day was lunch she would have her sauces on from just after breakfast time so to be ready for 12.30/1pm
Slow cooked and said never put on a lid as the sauce wouldn’t splash out if cooked slow enough. She was right still do it to this day.

Of course sauces do vary region to region within Italy with ingredients so no region is right or wrong, though many debates about that one.
She said to put a raw peeled potato in your sauce if you put in too much salt, again it works. Always used coarse salt not the fine stuff more flavour and use less, always used peppercorns in a grinder and good quality Parmesan cheese never the fake stuff.

One of my favourite sauces is clams in a light tomato sauce over thin spaghetti. Another thing she taught me that there is a pasta for every sauce.

Miss her such a wonderful woman.
Her favourite saying was , Cook with love you can taste it.

Fry shallots & garlic in olive oil, add white wine, cook alcohol out, add double cream, cooked pasta, smoked salmon, cooked peas and lots of black pepper. Stir well.

You can use raw baby spinach instead of peas and it's lovely too.

Expecting a cullinary delight also My basic sauce is "fry" in an inch of water, roughly chopped onions, carrots and garlic add mushrooms celery and red,yellow orange peppers, couple of tins of plum tomatoes and a couple of pints of water plus some Kallo vegi stock cubes and a pinch or so of sugar, simmer until tender then blitz until smooth and freeze in batches... then add whatever herbs, veg or meat to it for diff recipes. Think a lot of chefs use the recipe i use to hide veg from my fussy child. I can't wait to add cinnamon and dark chocolate to a recipe

Add butter to make it glossy

All these variations sound wonderful. I always add an Oxo cube and a couple of teaspoons of brown sugar, but never thought of cinnamon. Thanks all

Try adding ginger...zingy heat and really adds to a tomato base- do like the cinnamon idea, Morocconny!!

Try a splash of Worcestershire sauce

Love your post OP. A good tomato sauce is actually quite difficult to do, you dismissers of OP. I find it’s best to chop the onions as small as possible and cook for a long time on a very low heat. They’re chewy otherwise. Garlic (I like lots) once they’re done. Chilli if you want heat. Tomato paste, mixed herbs, tin of plum tomatoes, smash them up, sluice tin with water and add. Bit of wine if you have. Salt pepper, bit of cinnamon. Simmer until thick enough. Good base for lots of meals. Chillis, bolognese, shepherd pie.

@OJZJ

What a shame you just ruined the lovely long run that we had of people saying nice things and giving advice.

Thanks so much to all you lovely posters. I was nearly put off both cooking and ever returning to MN early on but my faith has been restored.

And I now have some great recipes at my fingertips.

Butter! Don't forget the butter!

Oh come on. This has turned into a ridiculous "you all mean" party.
People disagreed that it is THE best sauce. Yes there was some catty comments but most of the thread is actually just moaning about that few.
As if this "puts you off cooking and mn".

That said, keep learning. It becomes really relaxing thing later. We now do weekly international nights. Each week some different country. Try it. You will learn different techniques and it can be really fun.
Just make sure that you don't give up after messing up few meals. One of mine was so bad my DH politely eat few mouthfuls and then gave up😂 It was indeed horrible😂 It's been 4 years and we still remember that one. I still don't know where it went wrong😂

@AllergicToAMop

It was a lighthearted post. Apologies if it didn't read that way.

I don't think it's turned into a 'you're all mean party' at all. It's turned into a really useful thread, after (most of) the snarky posters had finished.

@Coquohvan, that's really such a heartwarming post. I have a bit of a lump in my throat now.

Passataaaa!
I make bolognese pretty much every week and it's the best! (If I do say so myself)

2x 500g Passata
1 onion finally chopped
3 garlic cloves ( can add more too taste)
Handful of fresh thyme and finely chopped rosemary
Olive oil
Handful of chopped basil
Wostershire sauce
Salt pepper and sugar to taste
Smoked paprika
Tomato puree

Heat oil and Brown off onions, thyme, rosemary and add garlic after about 3mins.
Add about 2tbs tomato puree fry off for another minute.
Add passata and 3tbs dried herbs.
Add chopped basil and a few sprigs or thyme and rosemary, simmer on a low heat for 15mins.
Add 2 tbsp sugar and 2tbps wostershire sauce and stir in well
Add half tsp smoked paprika
Let ot reduce with the lid on a low heat for around 45mins then add your cooked mince and leave for another 20mins on low.

Remember to season everything with salt and pepper l, especially salt and tomato can handle the salt!

BillHaders - Boligebsewtyoe sauce? What does that even mean.

FYI as you seem so knowledges, there's no garlic in bolognaise ragù. Do you serve this basic bolognese type sauce with spaghetti too?

BillHaders - Bolognese type sauce? What does that even mean.

FYI as you seem so knowledges, there's no garlic in bolognaise ragù. Do you serve this basic bolognese type sauce with spaghetti too?

In the last few minutes of cooking a pasta sauce, put in half a cup of the pasta water, makes the sauce go glossy with the pasta =)

Pasta sauces are perfect for experimenting with. I'm a big fan of blitzing an onion, mincing a couple of garlic cloves, tossing them in olive oil, couple of tins of tomatoes, beef stock pot, a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of dried herbs. Later followed by a generous amount of black pepper, some salt and just before I drain the pasta I put some pasta water in the sauce.
I cook it for about an hour, and we really enjoy it.

I really enjoy making pasta so I can mess about with the sauce!

@Coquohvan 〜〜 that is so lovely!

I can identify, but with a different counrty/ethnic MIL.
I'm so glad I can carry on some of her recipes, but I truly do miss her dearly.

PavlovsDeafDog & Sssnecks
Thank you both.
Another story is, she loved our afternoons every 2/3 weeks driving into a town which had an Italian Deli Owned by a family friend. She would buy proper pasta - Rustichella D'Abruzzo "Pasta di Semola di Grano Duro proper Italian sausage proper Italian tinned tomato’s & tomato purée 😀
Would have an espresso in their cafe with a Lemon Baci biscuit chat To the owners in quick fire Italian. Could be there for an hr or so by the time she shopped chatted and listened to the news from home.
Try it it is the best but hard to get hold of here in the UK.

Hot smoked paprika is a nice addition to that tomato sauce recipe