3X PIMP YOUR STORE-BOUGHT PASTA SAUCE
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: pimp your store-bought pasta sauce.
The very best pasta sauce is made from fresh tomatoes that you let simmer for hours, but most of us really don't have time for that on a weekday. Would you rather grab a jar of store-bought sauce? With these tips, you can make it really tasty.
We really don't like sauce from a jar at the editorial office. Our preference always goes to canned tomatoes. But if you'd rather be lazy than tired, you don't feel like chopping an onion and some garlic. We understand that. With just a little bit of attention, you can really make something out of a store-bought sauce. This way, you can still make a delicious spaghetti, lasagna, or a lot of meatballs in tomato sauce after a busy day.
Are you really very lazy?
Then all you have to do is heat the sauce and season it. A little pepper and salt, a splash of olive oil, or a knob of butter works wonders. A tiny bit of chili flakes or fresh basil too. Tomato sauce can also be slightly acidic, then a tiny bit of sugar can help. Too sweet? Then add a bit of vinegar.
Are you a little less lazy?
Then put the sauce in a baking dish with knobs of butter, whole cloves of garlic, a few anchovy fillets, pepper, salt, and maybe some chili flakes. Half an hour in the oven at 220 degrees, maybe stir it once, and you're done. The anchovies should be completely absorbed in the sauce, you just need to mash the cooked garlic a bit.
Are you able to cook for fifteen minutes?
Chop an onion and some garlic and sauté them gently in some oil or butter. Deglaze the pan with the store-bought sauce and make sure to scrape the crispy bits from the bottom to give the sauce extra flavor. Are you really in a good mood? Add some sausage meat or bacon while frying the onions. Season with pepper and salt, and you're done. Bet no one will notice that you went semi store-bought?
Extra: Emma's eating annoyance
When I was looking for a photo for this article, I was confronted again with one of my biggest annoyances of all time: sauce served on dry pasta. Did you put effort into a nice sauce? Do me a favor and stir the pasta into the pan right away. The best way is to cook the pasta slightly under, put it back in the pan with the sauce and some cooking water, and heat it until the sauce has absorbed into the pasta. Dry pasta sticks together and the sauce doesn't adhere, so a less tasty pasta is the only possible end result. Stop doing this.
