Secrets to Pasta Sauce

Growing up in a house of Italian heritage, it probably comes as no surprise that we always ate homemade pasta sauce. In those days, it was usually a long-simmered meat sauce that's generally referred to as gravy in most Italian households. On special occasions it would top homemade pasta and the rest of the time store bought, but it was always homemade. It's because of this that I've never been able to stomach anything out of a jar.

Italians need pasta and they need it often. As a working stiff who has assumed cooking responsibilities at home, I've adopted my own methods to ensure I can get that fix in a timely fashion. It's a common misconception that great pasta sauces have to cook for hours and were that true, we wouldn't be eating it 2-3 times a week. Having some key ingredients in your pantry and fridge can not only ensure you'll have a great meal, but also that you'll have it prepped and cooked in a half hour's time.

If you're looking for a recipe, stop reading now. I don't measure anything and I rarely make the exact same thing twice so I can't help you there. Instead, I'm sharing my secrets in hopes that you'll learn the pieces required for a tasty, relatively easy sauce... and stop eating that god-awful crap in a jar. All this stuff is widely available in mega-marts and doesn't require specialty shops, so you really don't have any excuse.

Must Haves

• Canned Tomatoes - This really is a no brainer so I'm not going to explain it. The brand does make a difference; I'm partial to Cento or Furmanos but your tastes may vary. Whole, diced or crushed depends on what you're making and I never opt for the ones that already have spices/herbs in them.
  
• Chicken Stock - If you're eating pasta twice or thrice a week, you need to mix up your sauces. Chicken stock comes in especially handy if you're using seafood as your protein and don't want tomatoes overpowering the delicate flavor. The low sodium version allows you, not the people that made it, to control the salt.
  
• Protein - This is a matter of taste. I keep Italian sausage, ground turkey, shrimp and scallops constantly stocked in my freezer. Pick them all up at Costco and never look back. I also have canned clams of various preps (chopped, whole, minced) in the pantry. Protein is what makes meals satisfying so you're doing yourself a disservice if you skimp on it.
  
• Olive Oil - This should always be the first thing in the pan because you're going to sauté any plant products before meat or base goes in.
  
• Fresh Garlic - Always, always use fresh garlic. It's good for you, tastes great and adds a certain freshness to the sauce. This stuff keeps for like a month so there's really no excuse not to have any on hand.
  
• Basil - Fresh if you can help it, but I generally rely on frozen or jarred since it keeps longer. Never use dried, that stuff doesn't even taste like basil.
  
• Salt - Not so much for the sauce but rather for your pasta. Your pasta water should taste like the sea before your pasta ever touches it. Don't ask questions, just do it.
  
• Pasta - Well duh, right? Not so fast. What I mean is you've gotta have the right kind of pasta for your sauce. If it's a thin sauce (chicken broth with clams), you want something with a lot of surface area like capellini to soak up the liquid. If it's thick, use thicker pastas like linguine so they don't absorb too much. If there are chunks, use things like rigatoni or rotini because they can grab onto those tasty bits. You should also be putting some of your pasta water in your sauce before you drain. The salt flavors the sauce, the starch thickens it and the water is like free volume. Finally, for the love of god and all that is holy, please do not overcook it or rinse it after it's cooked. Overcooked pasta is just plain disgusting and rinsing it after it's cooked washes away all the starch that makes the sauce stick to it.
  
• Cheese - No, not the sawdust that comes in a cardboard tube. You want fresh, hard cheese and you want to grate it minutes (or seconds) before it's on your plate. The two most popular are parmigiano-reggiano and pecorino romano. Locatelli is the only brand I'd ever consider using and in recent years has become available at most grocery stores and Costco.
  

Should Haves

• Black Olives - I always have a stack of cans in my pantry because they're a great way to add body and richness to a sauce. Dump them in whole if you like 'em, chop them if you want them spread out or use a tapenade if you don't like chunks.
  
• Onion - I use onion in the "earthier" sauces I make. They get sautéed before the garlic and usually long enough to remove their bite.
  
• Roasted Red Peppers - They're sweet, smoky and cut into strips, make a good addition to pretty much anything. Buy them in a jar, stick them in the back of the fridge and just pull one out when you need it.
  
• Pesto - It's less important if you're using basil religiously but since it has more than just basil, can do a lot for the complexity of a sauce. Toss in a teaspoon if your sauce is a bit flat or a few tablespoons if you want the pesto experience.
  
• Tomato Paste - If you're cooking your sauce for a half hour and it doesn't reduce to the thickness you want, this stuff can help. I buy it in a squeeze tube so I can use as much or as little as I want.
  
• Anchovy Paste - I hate anchovies, I really do, so hear me out. If you put a dime sized squirt of this in your seafood sauce, it will increase the flavor two fold. Your sauce won't taste like rotten fish, I promise.
  
• Alcohol - It's all about richness in flavor (notice a theme yet?) so you have to match your base. I use red wine for tomato bases and dry vermouth for whites. Only use stuff you'd actually drink and make sure you cook off the alcohol. Have a drink while you're cooking to make your efforts all that much more appealing.

Is your head spinning yet? You're probably thinking, "How could I possibly cram all this crap into a sauce and make it edible in a half hour" aren't you? That's the trick of it all, you don't have to cram it all into a sauce. You pick and choose which ingredients you're in the mood for and add them them accordingly. It's kinda like a good football team. Some of the basics are always there but you swap out the other players to end up with whatever your end goal is. You mix and match, leave out a few or a whole lot in your pursuit of a sauce. You'll have a few missteps along the way but you can constantly adjust these ingredients to meet your needs. If you practice, hone and perfect you'll wonder why you ever considered Ragú an option in the first place. Now go forth and mangia!