Cooking Venture -- Pasta Sauce

It's been a while since I posted a recipe. Here's one that I have thrown together that comes out surprisingly well. This pasta sauce starts with a creamy garlic base and then gets the tomato added in. It's not a super thick consistency like a marinara or hearty garden-style pasta sauce, but the flavah is fab-o plain jane, or with chicken or shrimp.

Garlic Cream Tomato Sauce
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1/2 stick butter
1 to 2 tsp minced garlic (depends on how strong you like it...)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup parmesan/asiago/romano cheese blend, grated
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 T basil, dried -- use fresh if you've got it!!
1 tsp parsley (or a little more if it's fresh -- chop it coarsely).
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste -- remember that cooking wine already has salt in it
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optional additions include:
chopped fresh tomato (canned tomato, drained works OK too)
onion or green onion
bell pepper strips -- I like the red and yellow ones' flavor best in this sauce
chicken -- grilled or sauteed, it's great in this sauce
shrimp -- if you want something more special than chicken
a tiny amount of fresh spinach, just wilted (Do not use canned! Ick.) It doesn't take many leaves to be "enough".

You'll also need a box o' pasta. I have used linguini and penne with this sauce, and either works just fine. Regular spaghetti doesn't have enough "tooth" for my liking to go well with this flavorful sauce.

Here's how you do it:

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the buttah. Add the minced garlic and cook briefly until the color starts to change and you can smell that it's cooked. Garlic burns easily if you're not watching it, it doesn't take long to cook it.

Add the sour cream and cheese blend, stirring until combined and heated through. I generally use a whisk rather than a spoon just to make sure it's good and smooth. Add the milk and white wine; stir until blended. Add the basil, parsley, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper (to taste).

Simmer over lo to med-lo heat (depends on how hot your burner is) for about a half hour, stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom. Cook your pasta in a separate pan while the sauce finishes up.

If I am adding bell pepper strips or onion (or both), I generally add them at the beginning of the simmering process and let them enjoy a hot-tub experience for the full half hour. This lets their flavor really penetrate the dish while softening the veggies. Add the spinach at the end, as it does not take long for the leaves to wilt. (You don't want them completely mushy and slimy, they should still have some body to them).

If I add chicken, I use either diced or strips of pre-cooked chicken -- I do not cook the chicken in the sauce. I don't know that it matters, but I want to ensure that it's done all the way through and depending on the temperature of my simmering sauce, it doesn't always get thoroughly cooked. I wait until the end and add the chicken to the sauce just to heat it through.

Shrimp is a whole other ballgame. If adding (uncooked) shrimp, I add them the last 2 minutes and watch carefully to make sure the shrimp are not over-cooked. Shrimp cooks very quickly; as soon as you see that it is opaque and almost completely pink, remove the pan from heat. The residual heat in the pan will finish the cooking process and leave the shrimp tender without making them rubbery. If the shrimp are completely bright pink, they chance being over done by the time they sit in the pan and are served a few minutes later. If you're using pre-cooked shrimp, add them right at the end to just warm them and try to prevent that unfortunate rubbery texture.

** note -- do make sure the shrimp is fully cooked before consuming it. This is not a fusion recipe of Italian cuisine and Japanese sashimi.**

Other notes:

I'm a basil junkie. I could bathe in it. (I'm sure there's a 12-step program for people like me, but I'm reveling in my addiction at the moment). Accordingly, the amount that I put in the sauce may be too much for the average palate. As always, put in what you like in the amount you like it. I view recipes as a loose framework that give you the opportunity to let your own creativity and personal style shine through.

The sauce thickens as it cools, so don't despair if it seems a little thin initially.

Enjoy!