Pasta Sauce Theory

For most of the guys I know, if they know how to cook anything, it's pasta. That's because it takes some special effort and dedication to make a truly bad pasta sauce. Sauce is fun, smells great while it cook, and it looks so awesome when it's done. Every time I make pasta, I feel like there should be network cooking show scouts watching my performance to sign me up to be the next Jamie Oliver.

It's so easy to get creative with pasta sauce. Forget recipes. If you want to close the cookbook, pasta sauce is your best friend.

This is my food philosophy: reduce the food to its essential, most basic elements, then you become free to experiment and let loose a little. In cooking (to borrow an analogy) some rules can be bent, others broken. So, instead of looking for a recipe, keep in mind the principles of pasta sauce, and the rest is up to you.

PASTA SAUCE THEORY
1. Pre-cook your meat
2. Pre-cook your veg
3. Add sauce to the meat and veg
4. Spice it up

And that's pretty much all you need to know for pasta sauce. Chop it all up, throw it in a pot. The end.

If you really want to make a pasta sauce that will make everyone be all like, "You made this from scratch? What's in it? Garlic? I bet it's garlic," take the time to add a little panache to sign your own personal signature on the meal. Click the links above for a few tips I've picked up.

Share your own tips and tricks with me!

Finishing Touches
All that's left to do is serve your amazing sauce over whatever pasta you like! If you're using this sauce for pizza, just make it a bit thicker.

A Few Notes on Time
For better flavour, cook longer. Use the same sauce, but add more water, and simmer for a few hours. "Simmer," if you're not sure, means boil the sauce, then turn the heat down to low, but high enough so it keeps bubbling. You reduce the heat so the bottom of the pot doesn't get all burned and gunky. Put a lid on it. Check up on it every half hour or so to make sure your water's not all boiled away (just add more if it is) and give it a stir to make sure nothing's sticking to the bottom.

For the very, very best flavour, cook the sauce a day ahead of time, and reheat it in a pan. Day-old pasta sauce is incredible.

Theory, Not Recipe
Once you have your own theory of how a good pasta sauce works, you're ready to throw out the cookbook and get creative with ingredients!