Pasta Sauce
from Italian Traditional Food

Pasta sauce is a necessity

Pasta sauce is easy to make, delicious with most types of pasta and can be made in large quantities, frozen and used as required. Most pasta sauces contain meat but this recipe doesn't so can be suitable for vegetarians -just replace the chicken stock cube with a vegetable one.

For those of you who do like a pasta meat sauce, just check out the Ragu Bolognese recipe.

The quantities below will make enough pasta sauce to keep a family of four happy for a week!

I normally make a large quantity because it is very handy to have around, especially if someone drops in unexpectedly! It is also easy to freeze.

I like to use this pasta sauce for pasta, tortelli and polenta.

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons of olive oil
2 oz butter
7 cloves of garlic (sliced)
3 large onions (finely chopped)
1 sweet red pepper (finely chopped)
1 celery stick (finely chopped)
3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
1 pint of chicken stock (use 1 chicken cube)
5 cans of tomatoes (chopped)
1-2 pints of water (boiling)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 large pan

Method:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in the large pan.

2. Add garlic (cook slowly until lightly browned)

3. Add onions (cook until lightly browned)

4. Add sweet red pepper and fresh celery (cook until soft)

5. Blend in the plain flour (until lightly browned)

6. Add chicken stock (stir)

7. Add tinned tomatoes (stir)

8. Add boiling water (to slightly dilute)

9. Add salt and pepper (to taste)

10. Cover pan.

11. Bring to the boil.

12. Reduce heat to minimum until it starts to simmer (slowly bubbling)

13. Simmer for 3 hours (reduces the pasta sauce by one third)

14. Stir sauce frequently so that it does not stick to the base of the pan.

15. The pasta sauce is now ready to use.

16. If you want to store the pasta sauce for future use, then allow to cool totally (at least for 4 hours)

Tip:

Once the pasta sauce is totally cold, I spoon it into plastic containers ensuring that they are air tight sealed.

I then store it in the freezer until I need to use it. I have keep pasta sauce in the freezer for up to four months.

Allow the pasta sauce to defrost in the fridge for upto 24hours before it is used.

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