Pastene – Everett Leader Herald

My 10 minute $5.00 lunch

By Josh Resnek

If you are devoutly dedicated to only the homemade and the very best, well, this lunch isn’t for everyone.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a ten minute preparation time and a you’re on a $5 budget, this lunch nears perfection.

There is no debating the efficacy of home made tomato gravy and bottled, manufactured Pastene products.

But – and this is a major but – I’ve got to tell you, the Pastene product sold in glass bottles is about an 8 out of 10.

Cook some pasta – in this case it was Ronzoni spaghetti, warm the gravy, put them together and sit down to eat.

Really, it was about ten minutes.

By Josh Resnek

I am not Italian but I love gravy, and especially, home made gravy.

I often make my own gravy, skinning the tomatoes, carefully boiling them down, adding spices and garlic and Basil leaves for special effect.

Making gravy is an art form.

As a non-Italian, I don’t go waving a flag that I’ve made great gravy.

When I don’t have time to make real gravy, I am going to make an admission that horrifies most Italians.

I buy bottled commercial gravy.

I know. I know. This is totally unacceptable behavior for those Italian people used to their mother’s homestyle, home made gravy.

But what is a Jewish man to do when I am hankering for spaghetti?

I’ve experimented with many commercial brands bought at the supermarket.