Tasty
Recipes!
Featured
April 29, 2020This is about...
Marcella Hazan's Easy Tomato Sauce---YUM!
Marcella Hazan's Easy Tomato Sauce---YUM!
I'VE BEEN SHELTERED IN PLACE, NOT LEAVING MY HOUSE FOR A MAJORITY OF THE TIME. HOPE YOU ARE TOO!
But that means that I've been going on scavenger hunts in my cupboards to find the next meal. THREE INGREDIENTS--A 28 OUNCE CAN OF TOMATOES, AN ONION AND SOME BUTTER--which are probably in your kitchen right now--
WAS ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE A YUMMY, RICH, ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE. It's been called a "genius" recipe and I agree.
Thanks to Marcella Hazan in her "Essentials of Italian Cooking," you'll have this sauce ready to top pasta in under 45 minutes with very little prep.
IN HER RECIPE, YOU COULD EITHER USE FRESH OR CANNED TOMATOES. And, I've made this sauce a bunch of times over the years with fresh Jersey tomatoes from my garden. But it's not the season here, and it's a lot more work to prep them. Since I'm not leaving my house to get fresh ones, canned it is. Her original recipe calls for 2 cups of tomatoes. Not wanting to waste the rest of the can, I added the entire 3 cups, and upped the better a tad. AH.....BUTTER IN THE SAUCE..... Being a butter girl, I think that MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE adding a velvety, richness.
Of course, if you have it, you could stir in some chopped basil leaves at the end and serve it over pasta or chicken, etc. with grated parmesan cheese. Alas, none here.
She removes the cooked onion and saves it for another use. But again, no Parmesan cheese to be found, so I ate part of that juicy, cooked onion on the side. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!
LESSONS Learned:
1. The amounts can be fudged to accommodate what you have on hand. I had a large onion, so I used that. I also used a little less butter than the recipe called for with 3 cups of tomatoes too--almost 8 Tablespoons, 1 stick was too much for me.
2. If you have canned tomatoes, any brand will do, but a can of San Marzano's from Italy would be your best choice if you're lucky enough to have them. Also crushed is easier, but if you only have canned whole tomatoes, mash them up with your hands, a potato masher or a fork.
3. The cooked onion can be removed and saved for another use, but I ate some of it as a veggie on the side.
Marcella Hazan's EASY TOMATO SAUCE
(adapted from "Essentials of Italian Cooking")
Ingredients:
1 28 ounce can crushed or whole canned tomatoes
6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
1-2 Tablespoons honey or sugar, optional if tomatoes aren't sweet
If you have it, a few leaves of fresh basil
If you have it, freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve
Make the sauce:
Melt the butter in a medium-size heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the tomatoes and nestle the onion halves, flat side down, into the tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a very low, but steady, simmer. Cook uncovered for about 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The amount of time will depend on how thick you like the sauce. The fat may float to the top, that's fine.
Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. If you have them, tear pieces of freshly torn basil leaves into the sauce in the last few minutes of cooking. Again if you have it, serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and the cooked onion, if desired.
Makes enough sauce for 1 pound of pasta. YUM!
IN HER RECIPE, YOU COULD EITHER USE FRESH OR CANNED TOMATOES. And, I've made this sauce a bunch of times over the years with fresh Jersey tomatoes from my garden. But it's not the season here, and it's a lot more work to prep them. Since I'm not leaving my house to get fresh ones, canned it is. Her original recipe calls for 2 cups of tomatoes. Not wanting to waste the rest of the can, I added the entire 3 cups, and upped the better a tad. AH.....BUTTER IN THE SAUCE..... Being a butter girl, I think that MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE adding a velvety, richness.
Of course, if you have it, you could stir in some chopped basil leaves at the end and serve it over pasta or chicken, etc. with grated parmesan cheese. Alas, none here.
She removes the cooked onion and saves it for another use. But again, no Parmesan cheese to be found, so I ate part of that juicy, cooked onion on the side. STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!
LESSONS Learned:
1. The amounts can be fudged to accommodate what you have on hand. I had a large onion, so I used that. I also used a little less butter than the recipe called for with 3 cups of tomatoes too--almost 8 Tablespoons, 1 stick was too much for me.
2. If you have canned tomatoes, any brand will do, but a can of San Marzano's from Italy would be your best choice if you're lucky enough to have them. Also crushed is easier, but if you only have canned whole tomatoes, mash them up with your hands, a potato masher or a fork.
3. The cooked onion can be removed and saved for another use, but I ate some of it as a veggie on the side.
(adapted from "Essentials of Italian Cooking")
Ingredients:
1 28 ounce can crushed or whole canned tomatoes
6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
1-2 Tablespoons honey or sugar, optional if tomatoes aren't sweet
If you have it, a few leaves of fresh basil
If you have it, freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve
Make the sauce:
Melt the butter in a medium-size heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the tomatoes and nestle the onion halves, flat side down, into the tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a very low, but steady, simmer. Cook uncovered for about 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The amount of time will depend on how thick you like the sauce. The fat may float to the top, that's fine.
Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. If you have them, tear pieces of freshly torn basil leaves into the sauce in the last few minutes of cooking. Again if you have it, serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and the cooked onion, if desired.
Makes enough sauce for 1 pound of pasta. YUM!