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pasta masta
Make your own: 8 classic pasta sauces to master for tasty dinners on the cheap
Buon appetito! Most jarred sauces are surprisingly easy to DIY, says food writer Niamh Shields.
DESPITE WHAT YOUR bank balance may tell you, it is possible to eat very well in this post-Christmas grey-sky reality, and to enjoy the process too.
Take pasta, for example, paired with a homemade sauce. Is there anything more comforting after a dull January day than a bowl of something warm and carb-y?
Of course, ‘pasta’ is a bit of a catch-all term, referring to a vast family of carbs with an estimated 350 different shapes. Each as delicious as the next but with a different shape. The texture can vary too, as can the suitability for different types of sauces.
Here is a quick guide: long and skinny pastas (spaghetti, linguine) go well with tomato-based or lightly creamy sauces; twists match well with sauces like pesto that can cling to them; while shells and broad noodle type pastas (tagliatelle or pappardelle) are great with meat, cream and heavier ingredients.
Tubes like penne are very flexible and can pair well with most sauce types – plus they work very well in a bake. Small pasta shapes like ditalini or orzo go well in soups or salads.
Now onto the important part – the sauce. Skip the jarred sauce or restaurant-made dishes for January and make your own instead, upping the taste and lowering the cost. Here are eight I regularly make in my kitchen…
1. Quick pomodoro (basic tomato sauce)
Let’s start with a classic and a quick favourite of mine which is inexpensive. Start with a finely chopped clove of garlic fried gently in some olive oil. Add a tin of tomatoes with a teaspoon of sugar or honey and good vinegar to balance out the flavours. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Season to taste (cook your spaghetti in the time instructed on the packet while the sauce cooks). Stir through a handful of basil followed by your cooked spaghetti. Gorgeous!
2. Pork and beef ragu
This rich meat sauce is a winter winner. But no garlic please, as I have been told on various trips to Bologna, Italy, cooking ragu in many different styles with many locals, from nonnas to chefs. Ragu takes a while (although with little effort) so I recommend making a large batch and using it over the week in different guises.
Start with the soffrito (the base), so two finely diced carrots, an onion and two sticks of celery, cooked gently in some olive oil. Add 500g minced beef and 500g minced pork and brown. Add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, needles removed and finely chopped. Add a glass of red wine and allow it to cook for as long as you have, at least half an hour, preferably two. Season to taste. Serve with tagliatelle – and the leftovers are also wonderful on toast with an egg.
3. Arrabiata (spicy tomato sauce)
Arrabbiata means angry in Italian and is used to describe this firey pasta sauce, perfect with penne tubes. To do justice to the name and my appetite for chillies, I like to add quite a bit. This is obviously to taste, so adjust for your preference. Start your sauce with one finely diced onion fried gently in some olive oil. Add a finely chopped clove of garlic and as much chilli as you desire. After a minute add one tin of tomatoes, a teaspoon of sugar or honey and a teaspoon of good vinegar, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Season to taste and finish with some basil before serving with some cooked penne and lots of finely grated parmesan cheese.
4. Sugo all’amatriciana (tomato and bacon)
Amatriciana is one of the classic central Italian pasta sauces, and pancetta will work perfectly for this. It’s traditionally served with bucatini, a thick hollow noodle, but spaghetti or linguine are great matches too. Start by frying the pancetta in its own fat until starting to crisp, then add one finely chopped clove of garlic and one onion. Stir through and allow to cook gently over a low heat. Add a tin of tomatoes and the now customary teaspoon of sugar (or honey) and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes. Cook the pasta, timing it to finish with the sauce. Add black pepper and sea salt to taste.
5. Sausage Ragu
Italian sausages are traditional for this, of course, but I have used Irish sausages many times. Remove the sausages from their skins and cut into inch lengths. Fry in a tablespoon of olive oil with a finely chopped clove of garlic. When brown add a teaspoon of dried oregano and a tin of tomatoes (with a teaspoon of sugar or honey and a teaspoon of vinegar). Bring to the boil before reducing the heat and cooking for 15 minutes. Try this with a flat pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle stirred through.
My final three ‘sauces’ are ingredient combos you’ll have seen on restaurant menus, but they’re incredibly simple to master in your own kitchen too…
6. Chilli and prawns
This is one of my fast fresh favourites. Put some spaghetti on first and cook according to packet instructions while you prepare the prawns. Use raw frozen prawns, and defrost them in advance. Fry one clove of peeled finely sliced garlic and one finely sliced fresh chilli in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add 200g prawns and stir through. They will cook in just a few minutes, as soon as they are pink they are done. Don’t cook them further as they will go from tender and juicy to rubbery when overcooked. Add the spaghetti when done and some chopped fresh chives. Season to taste and you are good to go!
7. Anchovies with broccoli and breadcrumbs
Broccoli and anchovy is a traditional Puglian combination, perfect for smaller pasta shapes The anchovy gives seasoning and gorgeous depth. Breadcrumbs give texture and crunch (called pangrattato, poor man’s parmesan). The sauce takes little time so start by putting your pasta on. Fry about six anchovies and one diced chilli in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. As the anchovies fry they will dissolve into the oil. Chop the broccoli into small florets and add to the anchovies and fry until softening but still firm. Stir through a handful of breadcrumbs and stir until crisp. Stir through the pasta when done and season to taste.
8. Garlic mussels with white wine
This (more budget-friendly) twist on linguine alla vongole is one of my absolute favourites. Get your pasta cooking right away, as the sauce is fast here too. Fry one finely chopped clove of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add 400g mussels and a glass of white wine or vermouth. Stir well. When the mussels have opened (any that remain closed should be discarded), scatter through a handful of chopped parsley and stir through the pasta. Check the seasoning and salt if necessary.
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