FRASER ELISABETH TAN, PHD

Jesse's Crack Pasta Sauce

This amazing deliciousness is less of a recipe and more of a state of being. What I have here is transcribed word for word from Jesse, so feel free to play around with things to make this exactly how you want it! Note: Eric has dubbed this "death by pasta sauce" :)

Serves 6 EF

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • minced garlic
  • A pound or so of good Italian sausage, decased
  • half a bottle of wine
  • a can of diced or crushed tomatoes, or 4 whole tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 medium onions, sliced into half moons
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

  1. In a broad pan and in stream of consciousness: brown garlic in olive oil, cook uncased Italian sausage and crumble it with a wooden spoon, add onion/salt/pepper/red pepper and saute until soft and a little caramelized.
  2. Add half a bottle of wine of your choice (I prefer cabs or malbecs) and drink the other half, simmer until thick.
  3. Add diced tomatoes or a large can of diced tomatoes, simmer until cooked down.
  4. You could stop there, but the recipe then calls for a cup of grated parmesan and then a cup of heavy cream. Both are optional, but wonderful. If you don’t do the parmesan, be sure to add enough salt to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
  5. Serve on rotini or other pasta that takes sauce well.

Notes

  • I often use the extra thick leftovers on toast the next morning.
  • Regarding quantities: the ratios matter little and are really dependent on how much you can fit in your pan. Start with about a pound of sausage, one really large or two medium onions, and 4 to 5 tomatoes or a 32 oz can of diced tomatoes. It’s a slower recipe, so expect to take an hour for all the simmering.
  • Jesse says don’t rush this, take the time necessary to fully reduce the wine and the tomatoes and let the flavors really meld.
  • I think I let it go for more than an hour, and I kept stirring occasionally so the bottom wouldn’t burn (I have a hot stove).
  • Jesse says the cheese and cream are optional, I think they are required.
  • Drinking the other half of the bottle is definitely optional.
  • I want to try this with a sweeter white like a Riesling or a Sauternes, based on Pasta with Bolognese Sauce