Creamy Tomato-Basil Sauce

Today, I'm proud to announce that made pasta sauce from scratch for the very first time. I've heard many people say it's so easy but somehow I've been intimidated by it. I went to the market to pick up a bottle of pasta cause and a Creamy Tomato-Basil sauce caught my eye. Then I got the urge to try to make it myself. So, I read the ingredients on the bottle. Hmmm...the basic ingredients seem simple enough, it's just going to be a matter of figuring out how much of each ingredient to get. What really opened my eyes while reading the ingredients was that there are so many unnecessary additives and preservatives in the sauce you buy at the store.

So I got really excited about making it myself. I put the bottle back on the shelf and picked up fresh ingredients to make my very own Creamy Tomato-Basil Sauce. Oh my goshhh....I can't believe I waited this long to try it!! I'm going to become one of those people who will say "it's so easy!" :) I cant' wait to try making other sauces.

The sauce came out delicious. I can really taste the freshness of the tomatoes and basil that I can't get from sauce that come in a bottle. I served the sauce with Linguini and Pan Fried Fish Fillet. Next time I'm going to try it with seared scallops...yummm!

Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

10 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, diced
6 garlic cloves
10-12 fresh basil leaves
1 t. sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 C. heavy cream
3 oz. aged Asiago cheese
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. butter
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Pasta of your choice, cooked according to box instruction

Cooking instruction:

1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions and garlic and sautee for 3-4 minutes until onions turn opaque.

2. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 8 minutes. Turn off heat.

3. Stir in butter until melted.

4. Transfer tomato sauce into a blender or large food processor. Add heavy cream and cheese, and blend for 15-30 seconds.

5. Pour back into pan and cook until just bubbling, then turn off heat.

6. Serve hot with pasta. Add crushed red pepper, if desired.

Angel Hair Pasta with Gorgonzola, Tomatoes, and Cubed Ham

I have to admit that I haven't experimented with pasta dishes too often. I gotta give credit to my friend from Portland for this simple yet delicious pasta dish. Hubby and I were staying at his house for a few days. One day he made us spaghetti for lunch. It was so good I had a second serving! I was so tempted to have a third one...but hubby was giving me this "we're guests so don't eat all their food" kind-of look so I had to regretfully decline. But of course I couldn't leave without getting the recipe from him.

He cooked the spaghetti 'al dente', tossed it in olive oil, garlic, basil, and Gorgonzola cheese then topped it with chopped tomatoes and cubed ham. If you like balsamic vinegar (I love it), you can drizzle some over the dish. Although he used spaghetti, I think it can work with any pasta. I happened to have angel hair pasta so that's what I used here.

Makes 4-6 servings

1 pkg. spaghetti or any pasta
8 oz. Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
3 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 C. fresh basil (chopped)
2 tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
2 C. cubed ham
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking instruction:

1. Cook pasta as directed on the box. Run the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process and drain. Set aside.

2. In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic, basil, salt, and pepper.

3. Transfer pasta into the pan and add Gorgonzola cheese. Mix well until the pasta is evenly coated with the cheese mixture.

4. Divide the pasta into 4-6 plates. Top with chopped tomatoes, cubed ham, and some cheese crumbles. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, as desired.