The Specially Selected Gourmet Pasta Sauce range from Aldi consisted of four flavours each taking on the traditional flavour profile of four particular regions of Italy. This one here is Calabrese, inspired by the region of Calabria that is the main producer and consumer of hot chilli peppers in Italy. With that in mind, the sauce is described as ‘a chilli yet sweet sauce with Pecorino Romano Cheese DOP’.
Prepared with 500 g beef mince and 400 g mushrooms, the sauce has a tangy tomato flavour with a gentle heat and a prominent salty sharpness of the Pecorino Romano at the back of each mouthfeel. While the chilli builds to a medium heat as we keep eating, it does not reach anywhere near an intensity that slows us down and allows us to appreciate the sweet and tangy tomato flavour. The sharp and salty notes of the the Pecorino Romano, though, add a funkiness to the sauce that we’d prefer to do without.
This Aldi Specially Selected Gourmet Pasta Sauce Calabrese contained 400 g. It was produced in Italy and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2019.