There is a discussion today on the Huffington Post that began as a criticism of 'celebrity' sauces.
Outraged people are appalled at the suggestion that they make a sauce because the readers need to know THEIR TIME IS VALUABLE and they should not be criticized for paying 8 dollars for a jar of Mario's or Rau's sauce.
Can we criticize them for being unable to think beyond the tomato?
As Julia Child once said..."If you have butter, you have a sauce." she was speaking of fish but the same can be said of pasta.
Yesterday I was back and forth in e mail with friends who live in Italy asking for recipes, suggestions for a pizza oven and sharing memories.
For dinner I felt like having a pasta. I had a little bit of a lot of things and made the most wonderful sauce. I will share the recipe, but I would encourage you to do the same, make your own when you have a little bit of a lot of things. I foraged in the garden, the cupboards and the refrigerator and the resulting pesto was so delicious I would make it again on purpose.
1/2 cup fresh peas
A few mint leaves
A handful of basil
A few sage leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup smoked almonds
3 garlic cloves
1 tomato chopped
A handful of swiss chard
All the ingredients were put in the food processor and made into a pasta and then into a bowl. I cooked the pasta (penne) and tossed it with the chard (uncooked but the hot pasta wilted it) and garnished with the chopped fresh tomato.
Both of us were much happier with this dish than we would have been at a BBQ eating a bad hot dog.
Think beyond the tomato and see what you can create.
3 comments:
I am so glad you are back to posting recipes.
I can imagine peas and smoked almonds with that herb mix would have either been a lot of flavors or did it all meld together into one flavor?
I think in many cases, getting over the fear of trying to make something completely on your own can be overwhelming as odd as that sounds. It has taken me many years to get close to that point and I still often use recipes either completly or as a jumping off point.
As for jarred sauces, I don't care whose name is on it, it never tastes as good as homemade. I do not think the folks who have so little time realize how little time it really takes to make sauce.
It melded together beautifully, the peas were sweet and smoky, the mint added a high note and the sage a depth of flavor. In my book it was a hit.
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