Spaghetti with Sausage in Tomato-Thyme Sauce

Dinner: 1.01.2012: Spaghetti with Sausage in Tomato-Thyme Sauce

Sausage and Tomato-Thyme Sauce (olive oil, 'Cracked Pepper and Basil Sausage', sliced onion, mushrooms, kosher salt, pepper, parsley, white wine, stock, fresh thyme, little marinara sauce, sugar, parmesan)

Spaghetti with Sausage in Tomato-Thyme Sauce

Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Dinner 12.22.2011: Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Sauce (olive oil, yellow onion, mushrooms, kosher salt, pepper, chicken stock, fresh thyme, garlic, heavy cream, pasta water, pad of butter to finish pasta)

Pan-roasted Chicken (olive oil, kosher salt, pepper) - finished 12 min in 375F oven

Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Sauce

Pasta with Mushroom-Tomato Sauce and Chicken

Dinner 12.20.2011: Pasta with Mushroom-Tomato Sauce and Chicken

Mushroom-Tomato Sauce (olive oil, sliced onion, mushrooms, kosher salt, pepper, parsley, white wine, stock, fresh thyme, little marinara sauce, sugar, parmesan)

Pre-cooked Roast Chicken

Pasta with Mushroom-Tomato Sauce and Chicken

Poached Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce

Dinner 12.16.2011: Poached Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce

Poached Salmon (court bouillon: water, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, kosher salt, black pepper corns, mirepoix, parsley, bay leaf, fresh thyme)

Hollandaise Sauce (clarified butter, lemon juice, kosher salt, cayenne)

Poached Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce

Poached Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce

Greek Inspired Pasta with Chicken

Dinner 12.14.2011: Greek Inspired Pasta with Chicken

Greek Inspired Pasta (olive oil, onion, kosher salt, papper, garlic, black olives, tomato, little marinara sauce, stock, feta cheese, fresh parsley)
Pre-cooked Roast Chicken

Greek Inspired Pasta

How to make a Pan Sauce for any Pasta Dish

Seafood Medley Linguine in a Cream Sauce with Peas

I regularly post pictures of the food I cook on my facebook page, especially of my pasta dishes) and my friends frequently ask me for the recipes; the problem is that I just make it up as I cook along.

I have made a lot of pan sauces for pasta over the last 6 months, but even going to culinary school has not taught me how to make a proper pan sauce while the pasta is cooking using just a few ingredients, including the starchy pasta water, until I read an article in a recent issue of Bon Appetite that was all about making the perfect pan sauce for a pasta dish: How to make Perfect Pasta. It is my personal pasta sauce bible and I have not had a failure since.