Making Different Pasta Sauces

If you love pasta, then you know there's seemingly no end to the different pasta sauces you can make to dress this dinnertime mainstay. Invented by the Chinese but perfected by the Italians, perfectly cooked pasta accompanied by fresh, homemade pasta sauces hits the mark every time. What's more, you don't need to be a master chef to pull off a range of sauces for pasta that please the palate and impress your guests.

Fresh Tomato Based Sauces
Fresh tomato sauces, like marinara, require more time and effort than other pasta sauces, but the results are worth it. Most of that time goes into preparing fresh tomatoes from your garden or local farmer's market for cooking: scoring, blanching, peeling and coring. When you peel the tomatoes, take care to remove as many seeds as possible without sacrificing the pulp.

The best tomatoes for these sauces are plum tomatoes, but if you have others that you like better, use them. Once you've got a batch of tomatoes prepped and ready to go, use your food processor or blender to make the puree. Pour the puree into a pot and add a little bit of olive oil along with your favorite spices. You can opt for an Italian seasoning blend or experiment with your own combination of garlic, basil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and oregano.

Set the stove to simmer and plan to spend the next eight or more hours taking in the aroma of your homemade sauce. Check the sauce periodically and re-season to taste. If the sauce isn't thickening to your liking, add tomato paste, one tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

If you're short on time, you can make a similar sauce using canned tomato puree and tomato paste. Be sure to buy canned tomatoes that are already peeled and seeded for you. In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes with finely chopped onions, minced garlic, fresh chopped basil, olive oil and salt. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the flavors have melded and the sauce has thickened.

Put your signature on either of these sauces by adding a variety of fresh vegetables-peppers, mushrooms, onions and summer squash are good choices. Add crushed red pepper flakes for more heat or a dash of Worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar for more richness. If you favor sweeter sauces, you can add sugar, cinnamon or even small amounts of dark chocolate shavings.

Tomato Sauce Variations

Bolognese. Inspired by the cooking style in Bologna, Italy, Bolognese sauces are thick tomato sauces cooked with meat and a variety of vegetables. Some variations include the addition of wine or cream. Try using sausage, ground beef , turkey, ham or bacon. Vegetarians and vegans may opt to add garbanzo beans or other legumes to add protein.

Tomato cream sauce. Heat your tomato sauce to your desired temperature, then add anywhere from ½ cup to ¾ cup of light cream. Stir and remove from heat. If you're making tomato sauce from scratch, add the cream last and remove from heat after stirring. For an added twist, cut back on the cream and add one part vodka to two parts cream.

Raw tomato sauces. Not-so-saucy sauces are finding their way into the spotlight in part, thanks to the health benefits of olive oil. When you're cooking with the freshest ingredients, keeping things simple is often the surest path to culinary success.

Unlike slow-cooked marinara, raw tomato sauces take little time to prepare but are no less flavorful. Sauté fresh diced tomatoes, sweet onion, basil and garlic in some olive oil. Add a splash of fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and in as little as ten minutes you'll have a fresh, mostly raw sauce that dresses up any pasta. Eat alone or sauté chicken and shrimp to top the pasta.

Put your own creative twist on these sauces by using what you've grown in your garden or take advantage of items that are already in your pantry. A simple puttanesca sauce starts with sautéing fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and oregano in olive, then adding capers, black olives and anchovy fillets to the saute.

Pesto Sauces
Compared to other pasta sauces, pestos are unique in color, texture and flavor. Traditional pesto is made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil and fresh grated parmesan cheese, but you'll find variations that call for walnuts in place of pine nuts or arugula rather than basil.

Pestos are easy to make, but they do require a bit more cleanup that other sauces.

Basic Pesto:

2 cups of chopped fresh basil (stems removed)
4 cloves of garlic
�" cup of extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup of pine nuts
¼ cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese

Put the basil, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor or blender and puree into a coarse paste. With the machine running, drizzle the olive oil into the paste until well mixed. Add the cheese to the mixture and process until the parmesan is incorporated.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cream Sauces
Cream sauces like alfredo rely on a mixture of heavy or light cream, butter and flour. The key to making these rich sauces is to combine the cream, butter and flour carefully, without allowing any lumps to form.

Keep an eye on this sauce as it's cooking-it's easy to scorch or burn. Cream sauces by nature aren't as forgiving as tomato sauces. Try a dash of freshly grated nutmeg on top to add a level of complexity to the dish. Serve over your favorite pasta.