Gotta be honest, sometimes I don't feel like pulling out the calcium chloride or veal escalopes when I need a quick dinner after work. And when the heat reaches 95 on a good day, the oven is the last thing I want to use. On lazy nights like this, Keepitcoming and I reach for some fresh pasta and sauce. I'm a firm believer in the difference quality ingredients make even the most mundane foods taste good. And quality doesn't have to be expensive. Fresh, warm bread with a smear of homemade peanut butter and crushed fruit or a piece of soft cheese on a cracker are favorites of mine.
But I need to admit, and for this, I'll get a lot of flack from the Italian part of my family, most boxed pastas and canned sauces aren't my thing. Last month we made a homemade three meat bolognese with papardelle that was incredible. Throughout winter, I made gnocchi in all shapes and flavors to warm our bellies with the snow. I've made two fantastic permutations of pasta carbonara. But homemade tomato or vodka sauce seemed daunting and laborious. And the best part is that thanks to Scarpetta's awesome sauces, now I don't have to make it at all.
Vodka sauce is one of my all-time favorites, thanks in no part to the gratuitous amounts of cream and cheese that generally go into it. Scarpetta makes a version of regular vodka sauce as well as this pink pesto. While I can't that is really maintains a balance of the two flavors, it's a very delicious sauce with a bold, creamy flavor and adhered well to our fancy pasta, seductively curved torchetti that resembled artistically drawn mushrooms. For roughly a pound of pasta, it generously covered half the batch. At $11 for a large jar, this isn't very economical for a family or someone on a budget, but it's a fantastic treat when you want to impress but don't feel like lifting a finger.![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqZ-osj4FbP64K20lWUOpQ5jOxzG5ezQr6Z5aEXmKxdKJiwieLX3RI1J_0vMjXpI9jYwbmcZQvmTFne23XOvOziW8mMDHae8faoz7PPnEOXIvMs7BNiyKbvM5kfRhLlPAbFT204jHkcc/s320/09.jpg)
Labels: 9, dinner, sauce