Marcella Hazan's EASY TOMATO SAUCE
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(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!
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.