Lou's Clues: Chef Louie's Dinner Party, Pt. 2

In my last blog, I introduced you to the Chef Louie Dinner Party with my quick and customizable recipe for some rockin' ravioli. This week, we're continuing the party with my "quick" and easy sauce, as promised. I also have a great recipe for you to finish off the festivities: dessert ravioli!

First up, the sauce. This is a pretty basic tomato-based sauce that can be used for any kind of pasta, so bookmark this blog! You're going to want to come back to this one later.

To begin your sauce, you will need your aromatics: a stalk of celery, an onion, and a carrot, all finely minced. Once they're prepped, pop those babies into a high-sided fry pan over medium-high heat with a shot of olive oil, and let them cook until they soften (about 8 minutes). While that is cooking, chop up six tomatoes, being careful not to lose any juice. Once the aromatics are softened, add the tomatoes into the pan. Next, pour a nice glass of wine (about a cup and a half) for the sauce -- and one for yourself (I leave the measurement up to you on that one!). Cook another five minutes, then lower the heat to warm, and pop some minced garlic and Italian seasoning in the pan along with salt (to taste), a good shake of freshly cracked black pepper, and some red pepper flakes. Don't hesitate to dip in with a spoon and test the flavor - if you need more of one spice or another, just add it in! That's what home cooking is all about, after all - making things the way you like them.