Terese’s Sauce

Stovetop / 20-30 minutes to the table / Vegetarian (not Vegan)/ This is not a low-calorie recipe./ Fall and Winter flavors./ A wonderful beginner recipe.

I have transposed the metric measurements into the equivalent American ones in the recipe at the end.

The Story Behind the Recipe

This recipe is comfort food that can be made easily in a short time on a weekday evening. It is also a recipe that represents a treasured family friendship.

Terese was the wife of a Swiss college friend. Raised in the Italian region of Switzerland, she was the stay-at-home mother of two boys when I met her. Her boys spoke nothing but Swiss German, but Terese spoke fluent English in addition to her native languages. She had a quiet and humble creativity combined with a smiling, positive attitude. She was a talented knitter and a focused gardener.

On a visit to their home near Zurich with my husband and two young daughters, she showed us unflagging hospitality. I didn't know at the time, but she was in remission from a bout with cancer that would take her life in the not-too-distant future.

The recipe she wrote out for me was one of the first my daughters learned to make by themselves. Both sent text messages requesting the recipe soon after moving out of our house. None of us make it without remembering Terese.

Tell Me More About This Sauce

Terese's sauce is really a modified vodka sauce. It can be made using alcohol, but I have never seen the need for it. Terese always made it without. It can be used as a side dish. For our family of four, we always serve it as the main dish and double the recipe. A salad or a hot green vegetable to go along with it is really all you need. A bit of crusty bread wouldn't hurt.

Because this dish is relatively inexpensive to make, there are three ingredients I would never compromise on for quality. The first is to get a decent-quality box of pasta. I like Barilla, and other Italian brands seem to work well too. The second is to use butter. Don't substitute margarine or oil in this recipe.

The third and most crucial non-negotiable ingredient is Italian Parmesan cheese. Look for an imported block of Italian Parmeggiano Reggiano. I have used Italian Romano or Sardo in a pinch, but American-made Parmesan does not work well. The sauce becomes gooey and stringy. Grate it by hand using the side of the grater that makes one-inch longish, thin noodles. (Smaller than the size you would use for cheddar or mozzarella, and larger than for grated lemon peel. Neither as chunky nor as powdery as pre-grated cheese.)

The rule of thumb seems to be that the simpler a dish is, the better the ingredients need to be.

Ingredients

Ingredients to serve 4 people as a side dish or for 2 people as a main dish. (We double the pasta and sauce to make a main dish for 4):

1/2 pound of boxed pasta- a flat Linguine or Fettucine works well with this recipe, but I have also made it with Penne which I always have on hand. A good brand is Barilla.

4 Tablespoons of butter- I use salted butter.

5 cloves of garlic minced.

1 hot pepper with the seeds removed, minced. We usually use jalapeño peppers because they are readily available; however, a whole cayenne pepper is closer to what Terese used.

3 Tablespoons of tomato paste, diluted in about 1/4 cup of hot water. I usually buy it in a tube and refrigerate the rest.

1 Tablespoon bouillion: I translate this as a combination of dried parsley, basil, and oregano. A little more never hurts. I use a tablespoon of each. I use dried spices unless there are fresh spices in my garden when I make the recipe.

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons Vodka (Optional, I have never added it.)

1 Tablespoon Brandy (Optional. Again, I have never added it)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese: I have never had good success with American-style Parmesan cheese. It seems to melt into gooey strings. This is the expensive but worth it item in the recipe. A good block of Italian Parmeggiana Reggiano is the key to success.

What To Do

Put well-salted water on to boil for the pasta. I usually use a pot that can hold about one gallon of water because it is the biggest one I own. With the lid on the pot, less energy and time are used.

While waiting for the water to boil, prepare all the ingredients for the sauce.

Add the pasta to the pot when the water is at a rolling boil, leaving the lid off the pan to prevent the water from boiling over. When using long flat pasta, exercise extra care to prevent the strands from sticking to each other and forming a pasta lump. It might need some gentle stirring during cooking, especially in the beginning.

The Sauce

In a large saute pan or pot, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter and add the 5 cloves of minced garlic. Stir for a minute or so.

I have never figured out exactly what the direction "add paprika" means, so I move on to adding the minced hot pepper. This can be a fresh jalapeño or cayenne with the seeds removed. The equivalent from a jar will do as well.

Add the spices parsley, basil, and oregano. Stir for about 1 minute, then add the diluted tomato paste. Stir gently until the sauce comes to a boil.

Turn off the heat and stir in the alcohol if using it.

With the heat still off, add the heavy cream and grated Parmesan cheese, turning it into the sauce with a wooden spoon.

If the sauce cools too much before you are ready to eat, it can be reheated slowly and gently, but don't bring it to a boil.

Drain the pasta and serve immediately with the sauce in a bowl on the side or plate the pasta with sauce drizzled over the top. The sauce is at its best when it has not been tossed with the pasta. Allow a little extra grated parmesan and black pepper at the table.

Serve it with a simple green salad and steamed green beans if you have prepared it as an entree.

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Let me know in the comment section how you liked it!