Red or Green?!

While visiting my great uncle and aunt in Albuquerque, about to eat an enchilada, I was asked a question I will never forget: "Red or Green?!" It turns out that this is an iconic question in New Mexico in reference to their fabulous chile options, and if you want some of both, the correct response is “Christmas”.

The theme of today’s blog, though rooted in that question, takes us to a different part of the world, namely Italy. I love cooking Italian food and pasta is a staple in our home. While most buy their sauces from the grocery store, we try to make them at home. The smells and flavors that come from a freshly prepared homemade sauce can’t be beat! Today we’ll take a trip up the west coast of Italy, from Naples in the south with my pomodoro to Genoa in the north with my pesto! Buckle up! Andiamo!  

Pomodoro (Red)

First, we will start with the red sauce also known as pomodoro. A traditional Neapolitan tomato sauce never uses onion or sugar, never has cheese on top, and relies on the tomatoes and garlic as the stars of the show.

What you’ll need:

1 can crushed tomatoes OR some cherry tomatoes

3-6 cloves garlic (depending on how garlicky you want it), crushed or minced

2 tablespoons water

High-quality extra virgin olive oil

Oregano or basil (optional but adds lots of extra flavor)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pasta box of your choice (or homemade pasta) cooked in boiling salted water using cooking instructions

Step 1: Salt your water and make your pasta using cooking instructions. For pomodoro, I highly recommend using linguine because it is a long pasta that works very well with the smooth pomodoro.

Step 2: Add some extra-virgin olive oil to a pan with garlic and a splash of water over medium heat until the garlic starts to brown.

Step 3: Add your tomatoes along with some salt and pepper and let the sauce thicken, cooking it for about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, uncovered.

Step 5: Turn off the heat and add in the herbs and stir until fully combined.

Step 6: Add your pasta and some optional reserve pasta water and mix everything together.

Step 7: Serve hot and enjoy!

Photo Credit: Dad, Cartoon via ChatGPT

Pesto (Green)

Now, let me show off my traditional Genovese pesto recipe, featuring fresh basil, pine nuts, and aged Italian cheeses!

What you’ll need:

2 cups fresh basil leaves (or if you want a twist, kale is a fun untraditional superfood to experiment with)

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2-4 cloves garlic

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and 3 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano

½ cup high-quality EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

Salt to taste

The traditional way to make pesto is to combine the ingredients in a mortar and pestle, but in this recipe, I will be using a blender because not a lot of people can get their hands on or have a mortar and pestle.

Step 1: Lightly toast the pine nuts and garlic in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, then let cool.

Step 2: Place the pine nuts, garlic and sea salt in the blender and pulse a few times.

Step 3: Add the fresh basil leaves and pulse in short bursts until the leaves are chopped.

Step 4: Add the grated cheese and oil and blend until everything is smooth and emulsified.

Step 5: Add to cooked pasta, mix and enjoy!

So that raises the question: Red or Green?! Truth be told we love both with my mom and I leaning red and my dad and brother leaning green.

Please give these simple and delicious sauce recipes a try next time you’re making pasta and let me know how they turn out in the comments! Buon Appetito!

That’s all for today! See y’all next time! Sarang out.