Sunday, December 28, 2014

Pasta comfort food: Sugo

During my first trips to Italy, Marina made sugo and I went crazy for it. I still crave it during times of stress. It's fast and easy to make. This month has been full of stress as I try to balance taking care of my ailing mother, long distance while at the same time, I must try extra hard not to lose my job. Personal time for cooking, studying and blogging has just about disappeared. 

I always laugh at myself when I prepare this recipe. The word sugo sounded so exotic to me when Marina first answered my inquiry: what is this called? Just as I have done since my childhood, I closely observed, took notes and thanks to my camera, always documented the wonderful food my Cremonese family feed me. 

Sugo merely means "sauce" in Italian!


Olio piccante




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Sugo

Makes 4 Servings

Saute one minced shallot in 1 T olive oil until soft.  Add chopped tomatoes.  Simmer while pasta is cooking. Make the olio piccante (hot pepper oil) by adding pepperocini to olive oil.

Mix sugo with cooked pasta and simmer in the pan for 3 minutes.  Serve  and top with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and hot pepper oil.