You can always buy a jar of red sauce for pasta—but no matter how good, it might be too salty, thickened with who knows what, and it’s just not home-made. This is one of those personal, intuitive recipes—just add the things you like for your own signature, home-made red sauce. As promised, easy and adaptable—and it freezes well.
Basic ingredients:
A large can peeled tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped vegetables and herbs–onions, garlic, parsley, basil, grated carrots, peppers, raw tomatoes, preserved olives
Dried spices/other flavors–anchovy paste, garlic oil, crushed red peppers, “Italian” seasoning, oregano, rosemary, anise
- Chop the vegetables and herbs—use any or all, or others you like
- Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan
- Warm the dried spices in the oil for a few seconds then add the chopped herbs, vegetables, anchovy paste, garlic oil (unless you’ve used garlic)—stir and cook until everything softens and smells great
- If you’ve cooked meatballs or sausage for your feast, now is the time to add the deglazed browned bits from that pan
- Cut up the canned tomatoes, or briefly whirl in blender or food processor—then add to pot with can liquid plus a few tablespoons of water or red wine
- Heat to just boiling, stirring often
- Reduce heat to barely simmering—cover and leave on simmer for an hour or so, stirring frequently and adding water or stock if it seems too thick
- Turn off heat—let pan cool down—sauce is even better made a day ahead
- When it’s time to cook pasta, save a half-cup or so of pasta water to stir in to the sauce–for that nice smooth finish
The Kitchen Hive