Saving the sauce

It DOES seem like quite a while since we've been together, doesn't it? Annalena feels like she's been away for weeks. It has been a hectic period, with Guy's concert (which was a SMASH. Anyone who missed the concert missed a thing of beauty and a thing of fun), parties afterward, and a big fundraiser for his chorus, in which Annalena participated, and will write about below. Guy mentioned at one point, correctly, that over the past week, it seemed we had not gone to bed before midnight more than once. Indeed. And as Annalena is more stewing fowl than spring chicken, it has been difficult to write, let alone sit up without falling asleep. So there it is.

Now, to the point, sort of. You can all gather from these blogs that I am most comfortable in the kitchen. In fact, in many situations where I find myself totally lost, socially, I gravitate to the kitchen. There is always a need for someone to help, and then the chatting starts, and at least for a little while, I'm harbored, feeling safe, and not feeling as insecure as I do in a roomful of people who are small talking.

Last year, I went to this fundraiser and was banned from the kitchen. I was told to "go outside and have fun," sort of like my Nana and mother used to tell me. It is all meant well: getting food together for a hundred plus people is WORK. And everyone wanted to show me how much they appreciated me by not letting me work. Well, it took some doing before people accepted the fact that if you want to make me happy, put me to work. Sort of like a border terrier, but without the cute tail. And this year, I was in charge of pasta.

Shortly before the event, I was told that they would need twelve quarts of sauce to make everything come together. Well, making twelve quarts of sauce in a short span of time is a difficult task, even for Annalena, but I was ready to try. But then they told me that they had already bought jars and jars and jars of bottled sauces.

Yes, I know. Annalena wretches at the thought of using a jar, because she likes making the sauce herself. Truth to be told though, many jarred sauces are not awful. You DO get what you pay for. If you buy the cheap, store label brand, you will be disappointed. And the bottom line is, no jarred sauce is going to be as good as your own; however, when faced with the issue of not having time to make sauce , or not having canned tomatoes on hand (and why don't you have canned tomatoes on hand? GO GET SOME NOW), you can remedy many sauces to make them very good.

You will need things like onions, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Use the herbs that can cook longer: savory, rosemary, oregano, thyme, or any combination of them. You might also add a jar or two of fresh tomatoes to the mix.

BUT... the most important thing to do is to TASTE the sauce first. That will be your key as to what needs to be done. The sauces I had to work with were not bad at all. I would say the major issue was that they were one dimensional, i.e, the flavor did not "resonate." You get that kind of resonance, from aromatics. The next time you put a spoon of tomato sauce in your mouth, think about it as you taste it. First, you get a sharp flavor of tomato acidity. Then, a second layer, of cooked tomato, almost a sweetness if the sauce is well done, a bitterness if not. In a good homemade sauce, then you get the layers of spice, garlic, and other goodies that the cook put into his or her sauce. It's this third layer that you frequently do not get in a jarred sauce, and the reason is because everyone like sauce differently. I like LOTS of garlic in mine, and LOTS of herbs. Too strong for many people. Others are stunned when I do not include pepperoncini in my sauce. Or basil (I put basil in just before I am going to serve it. Long cooked basil is dead basil to me). So this is how I worked the sauce. "Saving" it is perhaps too strong a word. Improving it is, I guess better. The hosts said it was better. I am truly glad that they, and everyone else enjoyed it.

Essentially, you treat the jarred sauce as a can of tomatoes. So, for every quart, or quart and a half, chop half of an onion. And have two cloves of garlic, whole, ready. Also your fresh herbs. Take the leaves off of the stems as best as you can. In the case of thyme, this will make you crazy, so simply pull off the tender stems at the top of the plant and use those.

Saute your onion in olive oil, with a pinch of salt. then dump in your prepared sauce, your herbs (I'm not giving you quantities. It's up to you. Taste your herbs. Some are stronger than others. Thyme, for example, can be used with abandon. Marjoram and oregano cannot . Sage must be used with caution. Taste and see what's strong. I like to use about two or three tablepoons of herbs to every quart and a half of sauce.

When the onions have gone translucent, add everything else. Taste it, and correct the sauce. Then, let it cook, slowly, covered, for about twenty minutes. Taste again. This time, you're looking for herbal notes. Do you get the resonance? If you do, stop cooking. If you don't, cook some more. Up to 45 minutes if you have to.

This will serve you, and will serve you very well, especially if you're intimidated about making the sauce from scratch. Nana did not do this, but I'm told that it was fairly common in Italian homes when I was growing up. And I never met a tomato sauce that I did not like. So.... doll up your sauce, and tell me what you did and how it turned out.