Pasta Sauce.

[Johnboy]

Could any kind person please give me a recipe for a really good Tomato based sauce to go with Pasta. I am not fond of Basil and all the recipes that I seem to find uses Basil as the star of the show.
JB.

[Tigger]

What about using oregano or marjoram as the herb JB? That's just as good as basil.

[Chantal]

I had a bit of a mishap when making chutney whilst very tired last year. I accidentally used red wine instead of red wine vinegar and didn't realise until far too late.

So, I put it in jars and now use it pasta sauce. OK on it's own or you can add mushrooms, minced beef, whatever you like really.

Hot Red Tomato, Pepper and Chilli sauce

Ingredients:
3 kg red tomatoes, firm
5 large peppers (1.4 kg)
1 kg onions
100g fresh root ginger, grated
228g (8oz) dark Muscovado sugar
500 ml red wine
2 tubes tomato puree (double concentrated 200g)
1 ds Sea Salt
1 ts allspice
0.5 ds cumin seeds
2 ds mustard seeds
12 large chillies
7 large garlic cloves
ds = dessert spoon ts = tea spoon
Preparation:

Cut up the tomatoes into medium sized pieces (2-3 cm). Peel and roughly chop the onions. Grate the ginger and cut-up or crush the garlic and add to the mixture.
Dry-roast the cumin, mustard and seeds in a small frying pan for 2-3 minutes. Immediately grind in a pestle and mortar and add all of it (including any husks and pods) to the mixture. Add salt.
Pour the wine over the mixture.
Cooking:
Put on the heat and bring to the boil stirring frequently. The gentle simmer for about 2 hours with the pan lid in place. Stir from time to time. Then remove the lid and allow the liquid to almost evaporate continuing to stir from time to time. When the sauce is thick enough turn off the heat and allow cooling for 5-10 minutes before bottling-up in preheated jars. Seal the jars when still hot and store for 6-8 weeks to mature. Makes 3 - 4 litres of sauce (10 - 12 jars of 330 ml capacity).

[Johnboy]

Thank you both for your replies. Chantal's Recipe would keep me in sauce for about 6-8 years as there is only me to feed most of the time but it gives me the chance to scale it all down a bit.
I had not thought of using Marjoram as a replacement for the dreaded Basil.
I have available Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Parsley, Marjoram/Origanum and several Mints to choose from.
Can I use Passata as a base?
I find that I must go on a diet and loose quite a lot of weight and the dietitian suggested using pasta as a base to some of my meals. I am not a great lover of Pasta and want really to disguise it a tad.
I shall have a go at it this week. Thanks again.
JB.

[Geoff]

I am not a cook but perhaps you could look at ratatouille recipes.

[Tigger]

Yes JB - passatta or just a tin of chopped tomatoes cooked down. Fry off onions and garlic, add the tomatoes plus a bit of puree or a squeeze of tomato sauce for sweetness. Then cook slowly and add the herbs at the end. You can add meat or whatever to it afterwards if you want to make it more substantial.

The Italians say long, slow cooking is the answer to a good tomato sauce.

Another useful dressing for pasta is olive oil, wine vinegar, mint sauce (or lots of finely chopped fresh mint) and a dash of Tobasco. Mix it up and dress hot pasta with it - lovely with lamb chops.

Or saute some mushrooms, add fresh spinach. Stir into hot pasta with some low fat creme fraiche with black pepper and nutmeg.

[Johnboy]

Hi Tigger,
Today's the day! I had a shop yesterday and got my ingredients.
Couldn't find any fresh Chilli's so bought a jar of Chili Powder, red and green Peppers, fresh ginger, 2 large red Onions, Garlic and a large jar of Pasta and tube of Tomato puree. I intend to use black pepper, Sea Salt, Mustard, and all the herbs I can muster and Red Wine will be used instead of any water and topped up with wine if it is not saucy enough!
I shall griddle a Lamb neck fillet and have invited a friend to sample the result. I will able to tell by the look on her face if it is any good.
There's a lot riding on this!!
JB.

[Primrose]

I find that if you have plenty of nice sun ripened tomatoes, just cooking them down with plenty of fried onion (and garlic if you like it) makes a delicious sauce on its own for pasta, which you can make in bulk and bag off in convenient sized portions for freezing. If you want a some extra flavour to jazz up your pasta, fry a couple of chopped bacon rashers in a pan first before adding your tomato mixture, either fresh or frozen. Adding some sliced red peppers or chillis will also jazz up your sauce. Good luck with the diet. I fear I'm at the state where I really ought to be joining you. I can diet quite happily for breakfast and lunch but my willpower sadly always seems to fall apart by around 5 p.m. when I feel I have to "reward myself" for being good throughout the day.

[cevenol jardin]

Hope your meal went well JB

when i was a student one of my best friends married an Italian and he showed us how to make a tomato sauce alla his mom. The inferance being she would have to make it JUST like that when they moved to Italy. It was so memorable - the precision of the detailed instruction, taste and simplicity i remember it as if it was yesturday tho it was 20 years ago.
This would make enough for 1 or 2 if JB's ladyfriend comes back for seconds.

Mince a small onion very finely and thinly slice a few cloves of garlic put a generous amount of olive oil (its good for you) in a frying pan add the onion and garlic and fry until golden add about 1 tbsp of tomato puree (shop bought stuff is what he used) salt and pepper and fry it for a few minutes stirring well until the oil seperates add 1-2 tea cups of passata (pureed fresh tomatoes)and a generous amount of fresh thymn and marjoram let in cook for another 20mins add a little water or wine as it cooks if it starts to dry up. Stir into pasta. I sometimes add a tin of tuna and a few anchovies. NB if using dried herbs add them at the same time as the tomato puree. The secret to this recipe i am told is frying the puree.

[Johnboy]

Hi CJ,
Thank you for your recipe and now that I have several to work to I shall be entertaining for a little longer now.
Hope that you have not been getting the weather we have had for the last six or so weeks.
I had hoped to go to France (Trebas, Tarn) later on in the year but feel that will not be on the stocks for this year at least.
Hope that you garden is behaving to order and that you are already reaping the rewards of your labours.
Thank you once again.
JB.

[Tigger]

JB - you haven't reported on the success of the first pasta meal. As you refer to 'entertaining a little longer', it's looking promising, but - do tell.

[Johnboy]

Hi Tigger,
I'm sorry not to have updated you. The meal went exceedingly well and the sauce got quite a high mark.
Will PM you.
JB.

[cevenol jardin]

JB Atrocious weather here wind torrential rain - peppers and toms not too happy but everything else is coming along nicely. Good side is i have far less work to do as there has been at least one torrential down pour each week so i have not had to start the gruelling daily watering at all this year. One year it started in March as the soil was so dried out with no rain to speak of for 6 months.

Trebas is that where the famous butter beans come from?

also - have you tried Quinoa its meant to be a great food stuff a bit like millet but tastes nicer.

[Johnboy]

Hi CJ,
Yes. This is why I am always full of hot air!!
JB.