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My pasta sauce is boring......any ideas?

My pasta sauce is boring......any ideas?

Old Mar 27, 2011, 4:19 pm
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My pasta sauce is boring......any ideas?

Just finished making a pasta sauce for tonight's dinner. I make it as my wife says mine is better than hers. I always make it the same and although it's well received by those who have tried it.....for me it's becoming a bit boring. I admit I'm not a great pasta lover anyway.......maybe that's because of the sauce?
So....for a change how about sharing your favourite recipe so I can give it a try?

My sauce consists of.
Finely chopped onions,red pepper and garlic.fried off in some Virgin olive oil. I then add some red wine and reduce......a large jar of pulped tomatoes and some fresh oregano goes in to finish it off.
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 4:23 pm
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My standard sauce is Bolognese so maybe you should try that.
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 4:25 pm
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Firstly, you're probably not including enough garlic. Second, try a few added vegies - minced carrots and finely chopped celery add flavor. Seasoning? Supplement the oregano with a couple bay leaves and simmer longer. Other suggestions: marjoram, thyme, basil. And, how about some pancetta?
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 4:29 pm
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I like to add a bag of frozen peas to my sauce for the last 20 minutes of simmer. Also top generously with fresh grated or shaved Parmasean/Regianno cheese right off the block once pasta sauce is deployed atop pasta.

Enjoy!
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 4:34 pm
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Switch out the red peppers for a fine mirapoix
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 4:50 pm
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Definitely mirapoix, and a bay leaf.

finely chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and red wine are a must. I'll generally add red bell pepper and grated mushrooms as well.

Just before serving I remove the bay leaf and take an immersion blender to it

Or there is the obvious answer... add bacon!
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:07 pm
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I add italian sausage or ground meat to mine.
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:14 pm
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Anchovies, capers, olives (in addition to the above-mentioned suggestions).

I've never thought mirepoix goes with Italian, but I guess it's popular.
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:26 pm
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What's a mirapoix?

I should have mentioned that we stay in the middle of the pampas so acquiring some of the ingredients mentioned isn't that easy without a 100 mile trip to Buenos Aires.

Any other recipes apart from the basic tomato sauce?
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:28 pm
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Dice some good thick pancetta or guanciale (available at Italian markets) and add it your chopped red chili peppers. Let it sweat a little in the olive oil for awhile. Here is a good recipe: I often make this.
http://www.cook-italian.com/weblog/2...na-recipe.html

Last edited by obscure2k; Mar 27, 2011 at 5:31 pm Reason: Added recipe
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:32 pm
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
What's a mirapoix?
You should check out this site - it's super helpful for cooking questions, and tons of other stuff:

http://LetMeGoogleThatForYou.com/?q=mirepoix
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:34 pm
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
What's a mirapoix?
Originally Posted by wikipedia
In French cuisine, a Mirepoix (pronounced /mɪərˈpwɑː/ meer-PWAH, French pronunciation: [miʁpwa]) is a combination of onions, carrots, and celery (either common pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sauted with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. The three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics.

Similar combinations of vegetables are known as holy trinity in Creole cooking, refogado in Portuguese, soffritto in Italian, and sofrito in Spanish.

Might I suggest a touch of hot sauce? I'm partial to Marie Sharp's habanero sauce.
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:40 pm
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Originally Posted by gfunkdave
Might I suggest a touch of hot sauce? I'm partial to Marie Sharp's habanero sauce.
Love Marie Sharp's products - sometimes difficult to find, though. Much more flavor than your typical hot sauce, which is often just dominated by salty/vinegar/burn...
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:43 pm
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Anchovy for a touch of umami. Makes a remarkable difference.
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Old Mar 27, 2011, 5:44 pm
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For about 3 quarts of sauce I add 1 lb. ground turkey well browned and very finely crumbled and 1 lb. sauteed sliced mushrooms. De-glaze the frying pan with a small amount of red wine and add that. I also fire mine up with a generous amount of ground Thai chilis or similar, but it is too hot for many folks.
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