Bolognese (simplified and anglicised. Can take 30 mins, can take 6 hours)
Chop Onion - fry in oil & butter on lowish heat
Chop Carrots and Celery. Add to pan.
Slice Bacon (or Pancetta or Prosciutto) and add to pan
Add mince to pan. Allow to brown thoroughly.
Add Tinned Tomatoes.
Add Passata if you want.
Add Vegetable stock to get it quite wet.
Add red wine (almost any duff cooking red, despite what many think).
Simmer gently for 30 mins, one hour, six hours or whatever you want. The longer it all goes on, the yummier. I do it in the bottom oven of an Aga, but a low oven (once off the hob) is fine.
You can add cream (not much) just before serving, but it's not really necessary.
Serve with Penne or similar.
Vesuvio (10 mins, or 5 mins without roast peppercorns)
Stick some peppercorns in the oven and roast them for maybe 10 mins (optional)
Butter and cream in shallow pan.
Add shredded/chopped smoked salmon (scraps from the suprmarket are v cheap)
Grind some pepper onto it.
Add the rast peppercorns (if used) and serve with Penne or similar.
Dolcelatte, Cream & Walnut (5 mins)
Put the cream in a pan, warm and add the Dolcelatte.
Get it all bubbling and then simmer until pasta is ready.
Add chopped walnuts at the last minute.
Carbonara
There are seventeen bllion versions of this and no two I make are the same. I Anglicise it massively.
Fry some bacon in a shallow pan (or Prosciutto if you must)
Add mushrooms if you want (not officially included, but works well)
Add some cream (not necessary, but I'm a greedy pig)
Throw in some grated cheese (should be italian, but my kids like it best with Medium Cheddar).
As soon as your pasta is drained and still piping hot, stir one or two beaten eggs into it. Mix it well, so the eg makes the pasta shiny as it gets hot.
Then mix the sauce in and devour.
For reasons I will never understand, my children used to love the above made with sausages instead of bacon).
Basic Sauce Base
Chop onion and soften gently in oil.
Add a tin of tomatoes (or Passata or both)
Chop some garlic to taste and chuck it in.
Now you can add all sorts of stuff that goes with the above.
There are very few rules with pasta. If you like it, it's a good sauce. The above require no skill or knowledge.
I'm usually cooking for four, five or six - so no quantities are included. I think the best pasta sauces are made just by chucking stuff in rather than weighing and measuring.
I hope this is helpful.
Chop Onion - fry in oil & butter on lowish heat
Chop Carrots and Celery. Add to pan.
Slice Bacon (or Pancetta or Prosciutto) and add to pan
Add mince to pan. Allow to brown thoroughly.
Add Tinned Tomatoes.
Add Passata if you want.
Add Vegetable stock to get it quite wet.
Add red wine (almost any duff cooking red, despite what many think).
Simmer gently for 30 mins, one hour, six hours or whatever you want. The longer it all goes on, the yummier. I do it in the bottom oven of an Aga, but a low oven (once off the hob) is fine.
You can add cream (not much) just before serving, but it's not really necessary.
Serve with Penne or similar.
Vesuvio (10 mins, or 5 mins without roast peppercorns)
Stick some peppercorns in the oven and roast them for maybe 10 mins (optional)
Butter and cream in shallow pan.
Add shredded/chopped smoked salmon (scraps from the suprmarket are v cheap)
Grind some pepper onto it.
Add the rast peppercorns (if used) and serve with Penne or similar.
Dolcelatte, Cream & Walnut (5 mins)
Put the cream in a pan, warm and add the Dolcelatte.
Get it all bubbling and then simmer until pasta is ready.
Add chopped walnuts at the last minute.
Carbonara
There are seventeen bllion versions of this and no two I make are the same. I Anglicise it massively.
Fry some bacon in a shallow pan (or Prosciutto if you must)
Add mushrooms if you want (not officially included, but works well)
Add some cream (not necessary, but I'm a greedy pig)
Throw in some grated cheese (should be italian, but my kids like it best with Medium Cheddar).
As soon as your pasta is drained and still piping hot, stir one or two beaten eggs into it. Mix it well, so the eg makes the pasta shiny as it gets hot.
Then mix the sauce in and devour.
For reasons I will never understand, my children used to love the above made with sausages instead of bacon).
Basic Sauce Base
Chop onion and soften gently in oil.
Add a tin of tomatoes (or Passata or both)
Chop some garlic to taste and chuck it in.
Now you can add all sorts of stuff that goes with the above.
There are very few rules with pasta. If you like it, it's a good sauce. The above require no skill or knowledge.
I'm usually cooking for four, five or six - so no quantities are included. I think the best pasta sauces are made just by chucking stuff in rather than weighing and measuring.
I hope this is helpful.