I typically favor made-from-scratch, but I am not above taking the easy way out at times.
Especially when it comes to jarred pasta sauces.
After all, they are so very handy to stock in your pantry, and they take well to doctoring with fresh herbs, sausage, veggies, and more.
San Francisco Dave’s Gourmet, which makes some especially good ones, was founded by Dave Hirschkop. After starting a successful taqueria in Maryland known as Burrito Madness, he created Insanity Hot Sauce as a way to subdue inebriated patrons. But it ended up being so popular that even perfectly sober diners became fans. How hot is the sauce? Apparently so explosive that his sauce was banned from the National Fiery Food Show.
His award-winning pasta sauces are tamer, but no less delicious. They come in seven varieties, including Creamy Parmesan Romano, and Organic Roasted Garlic & Sweet Basil. They are gluten-free and almost all of them are organic. A 25.5 ounce jar is $8.99. Find them at retailers such as Whole Foods, Sprouts and Costco.
I had a chance to try samples of two of them recently: Wild Mushroom, and All Natural Butternut Squash.
The mushroom one is quite earthy tasting. There’s almost a meaty quality to it because of all the shiitakes, porcinis and creminis. It can easily stand on its own. I added some diced chicken sausage to it. But leftover short rib would be fantastic in it, too.
The butternut squash one is very thick and creamy. It’s redolent of the sweet squash, as well as tomatoes and red peppers. Because of its consistency, it’s probably better suited to a thicker pasta such as paparadelle, which is what I used, or something like a rigatoni. I topped it with some crisp pancetta bits for a touch of salty, porky goodness.
When it comes to convenience products, these are definitely ones you don’t have to hang your head in shame about using.
CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win two free jars of Dave’s Gourmet pasta sauces — one each of the Wild Mushroom and the Butternut Squash.
Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Jan. 7. The winner will be announced Jan. 9
How to win?
Just tell me about your favorite pasta dish. Best answer wins.
Here’s my own answer: “One of my all-time favorite pasta dishes was a happy accident. My husband and I were dining at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles years ago. He had ordered a pasta dish, though I can’t remember exactly which one now. But what came to the table was definitely not the one he had requested. I’m always loathe to send food back unless something is really terribly wrong with it. So, he decided to just eat it. It was all of one large raviolo on the plate. He cut into the tender pasta package and golden egg yolk oozed out over a filling of creamy ricotta. Browned butter was spooned over it, giving it a wonderful nuttiness. What really made the dish was the touch of fresh mint, which added a light, bright note to the overall richness. This raviolo is actually a signature dish of Mario Batalli, who is co-owner of the restaurant with Nancy Silverton and Joe Bastianich. We might not have intended to order it this time around, but we’ve had it again since then. Each time, the memory of its perfection stays with me. All I can say is I’ve never been so happy to have a restaurant get our order wrong.”
Winner of the Last Food Gal Contest
In last weeks contest, I asked you to tell me about your favorite chicken preparation and why you love it so. The winner will receive a free Emmer & Co. heritage chicken.
Congrats to:
Steve Leidner, who wrote, “I really enjoy recipes with lots of ingredients. I like the process. However, Thomas Keller’s simple recipe for roast chicken is far and away the most delicious and easiest chicken recipe ever. Rinse and dry the bird. Drying is very important. I use paper towels inside and out getting it as dry as I can. S&P the interior and “rain†kosher salt on the skin. This is not in Chef Keller’s recipe but I chop up some fresh Rosemary, Sage and Thyme and sprinkle it in the cavity and outside skin. Then truss it and put it in a 450 degree oven for an hour. Tent it for 15 minutes after roasting and slather with butter. And that, my friends is really great roast chicken.”