I’m not a huge breakfast fan, so I often start cooking lunch around 10:30 or 11 am. I eat a lot of pasta, especially for my first meal of the day, because (1) I’m far too lazy to go to the grocer for fresh ingredients, and (2) I prefer it (and think it’s healthier) to say, processed food and frozen meals.
My house always has dried pasta and the staples to make a basic marinara sauce, so this dish is usually my go-to when I’m feeling especially lethargic (like today) or just plain hungover. It’s super easy, and more importantly, super CHEAP! My good buddy Charlaine, who (in addition to trying out the dishes on my blog) gives me great photography tips, has requested some easy recipes, and who am I to disappoint my fans? Read on for my quick marinara.
Bao’s Hangover Marinara
Serves 4 over 12 oz of pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped bacon (about 3 slices)
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine or red wine vinegar
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
Heat the oil and the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat. Let the bacon render its fat, and then cook until the bacon is golden brown and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and let cool on a paper towel to absorb excess grease.
Add the onion to the pan and saute until the onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add celery and 1 tsp of salt, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until the celery is soft. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Turning the heat up to medium-high, deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any brown bits. Cook until the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper to the pan. Bring to boil, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, adding the bacon back in after 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily-salted water (it should taste like the sea) to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, then remove from heat and drain.
Stir the parmesan cheese into the sauce and check for seasonings. Depending on your parmesan and personal taste, you may want to add another 1/2 to 1 tsp of salt. Add the drained pasta to the sauce pan and toss together with tongs. Cook over medium-low heat, tossing the pasta regularly, for 2 minutes.
Serve with extra parmesan sprinkled on top.
Mmmmm! Easy recipes are definitely good for those of us who don’t have dishwashers or much kitchen space at all!
Hey Bao, do you have a kind of pasta that you prefer or recommend? I tend to just buy what’s on sale but I’ve noticed that there actually IS a variation in flavor and consistency depending on the brand, so I thought I’d ask for your take.
Wow! What an amazing question! My favorite brand of pasta is Barilla, but any other brand should do just as fine. I shy away from generic store brands for pasta, though, because sometimes you can get a stinker.
Best way to go about it is try and find which one(s) you like, and buy them when they’re on sale. If you’re going for maximum flavor/texture, fresh pasta will always be the winner.
If you’re asking about which pasta SHAPE to use, that really depends on what kind of sauce you’re using. Chunkier sauces need things with grooves or shape that can scoop it up; a marinara like the one I showed today works best with something like spaghetti.
I am insightful! And also hungry!
Thank you, that was an equally amazing answer!
Okay,just tried Bao’s Hangover Marinara [note to self…I really should put all Bao’s recipes in a folder instead of laying them around the kitchen…they WILL be used again and again:)
I used barilla pasta as recommended, it was easy to follow and easier to whip up. I made it as a late lunch for myself and two hungry teens [who can no longer complain that there is nothing to eat in the house…]
It was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!Honestly, I didn’t think I could make something that could taste that good!! I WAS going to take a picture to show you how it turned out…but hunger and the tantalizing smells took over 😉
I feel like Sally Fields accepting an award, except this time I’m saying “I CAN cook…I can REALLY cook!!!”
So…thanks Mr. Fence:)
I’ve been reading but have had little to add. To this, I have to hold back from saying too much. Again.
On pasta itself, Barilla is by far the best combination of variety, quality, and price. But once in a great while, it’s worth splurging on something more. The local “more” is DeCecco. (see http://www.dececcousa.com) Aside from the care the company takes at every step of production, the extrusion is through bronze dies, which renders even smooth pastas more porous and thus able to pick up and hold onto even thin sauces better. There’s a lot of interesting stuff on the web site.
My own choice for a quick sauce is olio, aglio, e pepperoncini. Mince some garlic (can’t have too much) and heat it in olive oil. Don’t let it brown. Add some red pepper flakes. You can do this while the pasta is boiling. This is most authentic with pecorino rather than parmigiano, but it’s hard to ruin garlic, heat, and a good oil.
Ed
Totally agree with the quality of Barilla, and would have no guilt splurging on something better — if something better was available in my area! Living in the boonies means very few choices.
As for your quick sauce, it’s a staple of mine too! Can’t beat it, especially in its preparation. If you use Penzey’s extra-hot red pepper flakes, holy smokes, it’s got a kick.
Bao, I’m back with questions!
Any tips on making this with fresh tomatoes? Or a recipe for a different or better sauce made with those? I’ve got a bunch from my CSA and I don’t like raw tomatoes much (blasphemy, I know) but even if I did, I couldn’t use them all up before they go bad. Thank you!
Sorry for the delay in response!
If you’re going to use real tomatoes (which is great), I’d recommend peeling, seeding, and pureeing them first. If you don’t, the skins and seeds will float around in the sauce.