Recipe for red sauce

beatlesgirl25

I'm making turkey meatballs and angel hair tonight, and was wondering if anyone had a good recipe for red sauce. I usually do a basic one: tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, garlic, onion, pinch of sugar, and maybe some minced carrot or bay leaf. What do you put in your red sauce to give it a nice zing or that little something extra? Thanks in advance knottie cooks!

AmoroAgain

Add vodka and a touch of cream.  MmmmMmm

lilgina64

Thyme but only if you like it, it's an acquired thing. Sometimes I throw in rosemary but I could DROWN things in rosemary and be happy.

For a little kick, try adding some roasted red peppers.

polichik

Hm... I'm going to do some research for you. But if you really want to get creative, try roasting the garlic in its skin before you put it in. Just preheat the oven to 375, put a bunch of garlic bulbs on a cookie sheet, and roast for 20 minutes or so. They squeeze right out and give it a nice flavor.

Being a vegetarian, I also add liquid smoke to everything, but that's just me

I'm also a huge fan of basil. If you have some on hand, maybe toss it in?

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Replace the olive oil with butter. I know, I know. But it makes it SO rich and amazing.

beatlesgirl25

Oh yum! These are all excellent suggestions, thank you! I want to try them all, but I think H would raise an eyebrow at vodka/cream/red pepper/roasted garlic/thyme/butter red sauce.  I do have some of these things in the pantry though, so I will give them a shot.

You ladies are wonderful, thanks!

mandysmear

We always empty the fridge into our sauces.  Celery, carrots, onion, peppers, garlic.  H is big on puree everything, so his sauce is always super smooth.  I personally like it to be "hearty".  Sometimes I'll dump cottage cheese in to make it creamy for less calories.

Dried chili flakes, chili powder, basil, oregano, italian seasoning. 

beatlesgirl25

Mandy, that's a good idea. I never think of celery, etc. for red sauce, but it does seem to give anything a well-rounded taste. H is also into the super smooth stuff (can't stand chunky textures, which I love), so anything that is pureed is a good thing.

JK10910

Red wine.

beatlesgirl25

Ooh, fantastic J&K! I always have red wine I need to use up.

JK10910

That's exactly what I do.  I always have red wine sitting around in the fridge from random recipes (I always cook with dry red wine which I don't really care to drink.  I will, but it's not my choice) so I just start throwing it in random things and making mental notes of the good choices and the bad ones

beatlesgirl25

I'm the same way. I don't like to drink red wine, but have a few recipes I use it for. I wish you could buy it by the cupful and not have to get the whole bottle!

AmoroAgain

I always see small trial size bottles or half bottles at the grocery store at home.  (not Italy that is)

JK10910

I've scoured this city and my hometown for the half bottles.  That would be perfect.  I can't seem to find them here though. 

mandysmear

Deglaze with the red wine.  So, saute your veggies and then once they're almost cooked to tenderness add the red wine and let the booze cook out for a few minutes.  Then add tomotoes and additional liquids.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

FI always drinks the rest of the bottle of my cooking wine. Not always all at one time. It's annoying if I want it for making something else later on. ;-)

beatlesgirl25

Half bottles would be perfect. Usually I end up throwing away the remainder of soured red wine because it sits, unused, in a cupboard in the humid summer.

Alright, off I go to try some new dinner ideas!

squirrly

There are a lot of wineries that sell 4 packs of "picnic" bottles here.  I'd look for that, if you wanted small bottles.