Culinary Disasters

A good basic tomato sauce is an essential ingredient in any kitchen.  It can serve as a great base for many dishes (chicken parmesan for one) or as a simple and easy meal when tossed with some pasta. 

I like to keep the tomato sauce simple and then I can add what I want when I need it.  For example, if I wanted to add some mushrooms to the sauce all I would have to do is saute some mushrooms till they are softened in some olive oil and then toss in the tomato sauce. 

The key ingredient to this dish is the tomatoes you use.  I have found it to be essential to invest in amazing canned or fresh tomatoes and use those versus buying the cheapest crap you can find at the store.  If I am going to canned I prefer to use san marzano.  If you are shopping for san marzano make sure you read the ingredient listing before buying.  Many manufacturers have gotten tricky and are playing on people not knowing any better (including the brand San Marzano which is just plain plum tomatoes).  The ingredients should list san marzano tomatoes and also be marked DOP.  A couple good brands are Centro, LaValle, La Bella, Strianese, Italbrand, and Gia Russa. 

Tomato sauce also freezes very well.  I like to store it in the freezer in 1-2 cup jars and this way I can have as much as I need ready to go within a couple of hours.  I would say it only stays for a couple of months but I never have a problem consuming a batch in a month.

For this recipe you are going to need:

• 2 28 ounce cans of good quality tomatoes 
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic finely diced
• 1 TB of chopped basil
• 1 TB of chopped rosemary
• 1 TB of chopped thyme
• 1 cup of red wine
• Teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• TB of extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium add in the extra virgin olive oil and the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook till softened (about 5-8 minutes).  Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add in the 1 cup of red wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce this down by about 1/4 (about 3-5 minutes).

Add in the tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, basil, and crushed red pepper.

Simmer this for about 30-45 minutes tasting occasionally and adjusting the flavors with salt and pepper.

For a quick snack I boiled some linguine to al dente.  Tossed the linguine in some of the pasta sauce and topped with chopped parsley and grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Tags: sauce, All //