Ever since we invite people to our home for birthdays and other festivities we cook. Its great to have people sit together and enjoy food and laughter. Kids running around and people joined in deep conversations. It helps to unwind, relax and get back in touch with community.
DIY
Good recipes are more than welcome of course. Everyone who wants to entertain understands that. Of course you can enjoy the fries from the local fast food hero but something that you create yourself gives people the feeling that they are treated extra special. I bring food with love. I love making it, I love serving it and it gives me great satisfaction when people are silently enjoying it or loudly getting the next plate …
Ease
Having an easy recipe with great result is not always easy and it takes practice to make difficult ones fast and for large groups. The ‘Pink Sauce’ recipe is a relative easy one that harvests great results (even though you can’t please everyone of course, and you shouldn’t try to).
I make the pictures myself so they couldn’t be more life-like. Of course I try to pimp them a tiny bit but I always make an effort to keep it as much the same as the ‘real deal’, or better the ‘real meal’, as possible. Even though some pictures with recipes look great and delicious, most of it is staged and will never look like that when you make it. The real thing is almost always better.
The ingredients
for 4 people with regular appetite
- good, creamy and preferably with artisanal bio earmark, ricotta
400 grams net weight - a hand full of slightly roasted macadamia nuts or pine kernels, with bio earmark if possible, use more if you need to thicken the sauce
- a garlic clove, a bigger one, more if you are an ‘addict’, fresh garlic if you can find it
- big round tomatoes, 4 pieces, again, bio earmark when possible and preferably Italian plum tomatoes with loads of taste, if the sauce needs to be more pink, add another
- a big hand full of (yes, bio …) of grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano, you can always add more to taste later
- a big hand full of basil leaves, best ones are the ones you have grown, otherwise get the ? You have guessed it I suppose …
- please also keep some extra basil aside to play dress up at the end
- and of course, olive oil, extra vergine, has to really be bio earmarked, cold pressed, first pressing with the lowest acidity you can find. Or use what you would normally use 🙂
- and to spice things up use very good salt, black pepper and some nutmeg and please grate and grind these yourself, no powders here please …
Throw everything together in a big bowl. After rinsing and cleaning. Except for the spices. Mix everything well till a thick nice pink sauce emerges that has good consistency for eating it with pasta. Then add the spices, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, to taste. Mix well with a spoon and put the bowl aside in the cooler. Leave it there to rest for some 20 minutes. Then get it out and leave it uncovered at room temperature.
The Pasta
After this relative short break continue with cooking your favourite pasta. With this dish I love to use either linguine, or (easier with kids), farfalle or fusilli. Please don’t overcook. It really needs to be ‘al dente’, somewhat firmer to the bite!
Serving
And then, pasta ready? Drained? Mix immediately with the sauce that you have ready and serve! Put some fresh basil leaves on every plate for the colouring and enjoy!