Classic Red Sauce
The backbone of Italian American cooking. The staple of Sunday dinner. The stainer of all things white. If you are going to cook New York Italian, this is the one thing you’ll need to know. Like making stock, or cooking a steak, this is one of the basics that you absolutely should master. Everything, from pastas, to meatballs, to lasagna will be elevated to a tastier, higher, level just by respecting the sauce. Whichever style you choose, keep in mind that once you fall to once side of the issue, there may be no going back.
Everyone Makes It Different:
Tomato sauce is sort of like a religion, at least for Italian American cooking. It’s done on Sundays, there are a million interpretations on how exactly it’s done. Some use fresh tomatoes, some use canned. Onion? Garlic? Both? That is a matter of preference. There are even debates on what it is even called. Some practice “sauce” while others practice “gravy”.
The Similarities
The one thing that is universal, however, is the simplicity of the sauce. Often a vehicle for flavoring pastas or simmering meats, the sauce shouldn’t be too complex or stressful to put together. In this particular case, the recipe doesn’t use anything fancy, but paying attention to the each step is essential to build depth and flavor into the sauce.
What you’ll need
Makes roughly 40 ounces
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
2 28oz cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspon of salt, black pepper, oregano. Crushed red pepper to taste. Or 1 tablespoon of Sawce tomato spice
Optional: 1 bushel of basil. Bay leaf can also be used
Lets Do This
In a pot heated set to medium-high, heat oil and cook onions for roughly 5 minutes, or until cooked through
Lower heat to medium-low. Add garlic and cook until it begins to color, roughly 5 minutes
Sprinkle in some of the oregano and red pepper and stir into the oil to add fragrance
Add wine and bring back to medium-high. Cook until liquid has reduced to roughly ¼ cup
Crush tomatoes in a blender or by hand, and add to the pot
Add remaining seasonings and slowly bring to a boil on medium-high heat, careful not to burn the sauce
Lower to a simmer, and add basil
Cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened
Serving Your Sauce
When ready to serve, remove the basil, and take the desired about of sauce and heat in a pan, careful not to burn. When pasta is 1-2 minutes shy of the instructed cooking time, reserve some pasta water and drain the pasta, adding it directly to the pan sauce.
Drizzle in some of the reserved water, and a tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Continue stirring the pasta on medium heat in the pan until it takes on a glossy coat, 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, and grate over any cheese if desired. Toss the pasta once more to incorporate the cheese, and serve.
Finishing the pasta in the sauce allows for a thick, silky sauce
Additional Flavoring Tricks
Want to get more out of your ingredients? Try any of the following:
Add a cheese rind from a used block of cheese into the sauce along with the basil. This will melt slowly over the cooking time, creating a creamy edge to your sauce. Be sure to fish out before serving.
Toss in the other half of the onion when the sauce is simmering. We only used 1/2 in the beginning, and this is a great use for the 2nd half. Similar to the cheese mentioned above, the onion will cook slowly over time in the sauce, becoming soft and delicate. Be sure to fish out before serving. ,
Add any other fresh herbs along with the basil while the sauce simmers. Again, just be sure to remove before serving!
A red sauce can go with meat, or without
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