simple sauce

1/3 c butter

1 lb. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced crosswise

8 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Fry pan, medium heat melt butter. Add onion, cook until translucent -10min. Add tomatoes to pan, simmer until desired thickness -20min. Remove from heat and stir in salt to taste and basil.

vodka sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup good quality vodka
2 (15 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried, ground rosemary
1/4 cup water (optional)
1 cup heavy cream, or as needed

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir the tomato paste into the onion mixture, working all of the lumps out. Pour in the vodka and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato puree. Season with oregano, pepper, salt, thyme, parsley, and rosemary.
Return to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water if the sauce becomes too thick as it cooks, but remember that you'll be adding the cream soon, so don't thin it too much. Once the sauce has cooked, stir in the cream until the consistency and color are to your liking. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes to reheat.

classic basil pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed2 to 3 large garlic cloves, to preference

1/4 cup pine nuts (see cook's note)

1/4 cup best-quality grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste

Dash of salt, to taste

Directions:

Rinse the basil well. Remove the leaves from the stems, and place them in a salad spinner. Dry well, and set aside. (Alternately, dry the leaves with paper towels.) Peel the garlic cloves, and drop through the feed tube of a food processor (or blender) onto a moving blade to finely chop. Add the basil leaves and pine nuts to the processor bowl, and pulse the motor just until coarsely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cheese to the bowl.

With the motor running, slowly pour 1?3 cup oil through the processor feed tube and process until the oil is incorporated and the pesto is the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Taste the pesto, and season with salt to taste. Add more oil (as before) until the desired consistency is reached. (We make pesto in various degrees of thickness depending on how we plan to use it. The consistency here is good for adding to pasta sauces and soups and gives an intense basil flavor.)

Scrape the pesto into a freezer-safe plastic storage container. (We usually freeze the pesto in small batches. Snack-cup-size plastic containers are good. Cover each container with a light film of oil. Alternately, the pesto can be frozen in ice-cube trays lightly sprayed with cooking-oil spray. When frozen, pop out the pesto cubes and store in freezer-weight bags or containers in the freezer for up to three months. To use, defrost as before.) Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of oil on top, and swirl to coat. (Use a bit more if necessary, depending on the size and shape of your container.) The pesto can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to six months. The top of the pesto will turn dark when stored. This is OK. Just stir well before using. (To thaw, let container stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.)

Makes about 3/4 cup thick pesto, more if thinned.

Cook's note: Pine nuts can be raw or lightly toasted. Other nuts, such as walnuts, pistachios and pecans, raw or toasted, also can be used.