Marcella’s original version of this sauce is one of the great tomato sauces. She uses canned tomatoes and leaves the onion unchopped then throws everything together to boil into a sauce. It’s wonderful and I encourage you to try it.
This sauce is how I make it when I use fresh tomatoes (although you can use canned for mine as well). The main difference is the onion. I love soft cooked onions and like to have them remain in the sauce.
| Servings | Enough to sauce a lb of pasta |
Ingredients
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ripe tomatoes OR
- 1 28 oz can peeled tomatoes in juice
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
| |
Instructions
- Trim the stem end of the tomatoes and cut off any deep imperfections. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. Set aside with juices from cutting board.
- Cook onion with a pinch of salt, olive oil and half the butter over low to moderate heat until it softens.
- Once the onions are soft add the chopped tomatoes.
- Add salt to taste and the remaining butter, and cook the tomatoes and onion together over a low simmer until the tomatoes break down and a sauce begins to form. Feel free to mash the tomatoes with a fork or potato masher as they soften.
- Note the change in color from red to orange. This color change is a key indicator the the fat (either oil or butter or both) and the tomatoes are combining into a saucy suspension. No orange color, not enough fat to give you the desired mouth feel.
- Continue cooking over at a lively simmer until sauce thickens enough to nap the pasta. Toss with cooked pasta.
Powered by WP Ultimate Recipe