Tomato Sauce the Italian Way, Per Favore!

First, let’s make sure that we have all the necessary ingredients…

The onion gives out its sweet flavour in the simmering sauce.

On one side, the pasta, and on the other side our salsa di pomodoro.

When everything is ready, it’s time to serve!

Accompanied by a good glass of wine, this dish takes me to cloud nine!

Today, for a change, we are going to put on our colourful aprons and perform some culinary magic. We’re going to do a conjuring trick improperly called, especially by non-Italians, pasta al pomodoro (tomato sauce pasta).

In view of the fact that there are virtually as many tomato sauce variants in Italy as there are Italians, pasta al pomodoro doesn’t mean much. We have to be more specific. Today, I will share with you two of my favourite “versions”.

You might like to know that, contrary to popular belief, tomatoes have not been at the heart of Italian cuisine since their introduction from the Americas in the 15th century. The first tomato sauce recipe appeared in an Italian cookbook only in 1692!

Let’s roll up our sleeves now and make sure we have all the necessary ingredients. The one golden rule to remember is to use fresh tomatoes only when in season, that is from June to September. At any other time of the year, you will be better off with a high-quality brand of pelati, canned peeled tomatoes.

First, assuming that you’re cooking for four people, you’ll need 500 grams of pasta. Then, for what I’ll call the “summer recipe” (from June to September), pick 6 fresh tomatoes, a clove of garlic and some basil. For the “winter recipe”, you’ll need a can of peeled tomatoes, a healthy onion and 50 grams of butter.

Now, the method. If we’re in “summer”, you first boil water, then immerse the 6 tomatoes, whole, for 30-40 seconds. Right after removing the tomatoes from the boiling water, peel them with the help of a knife and fork.

If we’re in “winter”, I suggest you follow the fine buttery salsa di pomodoro recipe that has been made famous by Marcella Hazan. Buy a top quality can of pelati, pour its content into a saucepan and bring it to the boil with a big peeled onion in the middle of it. Then turn the heat down and add a generous amount of butter. Let the sauce simmer while the pasta is cooking. As for the onion, you can either leave it in the sauce, or fish it out and save it for another use. Should you wish to get into the nitty-gritty of this recipe, here is the link to Marcella’s exquisite recipe.

Now, when your sauce is ready, let me know: I’ll gladly come over to have a taste…

A presto!