Tom’s Tomato Sauce (Salsa di Pomodoro) Recipe
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: I have a book that has a bunch of recipes for tomato sauce, made with fresh or canned tomatoes, diced or pureed; – with or sansa all kinds of meat, such as sliced or ground beef, veal, pork, chicken; or fish such as tuna or shrimp etc., etc., etc.; – veggies, such as peas, artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, etc., etc., etc.; with or without this, that, or t’other herbs ‘n’ spices. As Yul Brenner sang as the King of Siam, “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera”. My recipe, which I use for most of my dishes, is very basic and easy to put together. It is easily adapted for just about anything, such as adding meatballs or Italian sausage, or just serving it plain over ordinary pasta (I prefer thin, such as Vermicelli) with grated parmesan cheese and crushed (not ground) red pepper“,et cetera, . . . . .” And here it is:
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Directions: |
Directions:Chop up some onion (about ½ to 1 cup) and 1 or 2 cloves of garlic. Put the onion in some warmed up olive oil and cook for a couple minutes, then add the finely chopped garlic. After another minute or so (do not let the onion or garlic turn brown), add a can of petite diced tomatoes or pureed tomato (14 oz. for Grandma and me, or 28 oz. for a bigger batch of sauce). When it comes to a simmer, add a bay leaf, about a teaspoon each (more or less according to taste) of basil and oregano, and a tablespoon (a little more, actually) of tomato paste, and some salt and black pepper. I also like to add some crushed (not ground) cayenne red pepper, but when I do I have to be careful because Grandma does not like the spice, so I usually save the hot stuff for the table. Let it simmer SLOWLY for an hour or more, stirring every so often and there you have it. If the sauce gets too thick, add some water.
Now then: Depending on what I am using it for, I might add some ground beef or Italian sausage after the onion and garlic are cooked, and then add the tomatoes after the meat is browned and no longer pink. Sometimes I add a pinch of cinnamon because my Dad liked it that way; or meatballs or sliced sausage after they are cooked separately, or leftover meat or chicken, etc.. Also, you could add a smidgen (read ‘a pinch’) of Baking Soda to sweeten the acid in the tomatoes, or a little red wine for some added flavor. I do not like the sauce to be so thick that you could eat it with a fork (the way it is served in so many restaurants), or so flavored with spices and herbs that you cannot taste the Pomodoro (also in some restaurants).
If you haven’t already learned how you like your sauce, try starting with my basic, then add this or that, or more or less of the basic stuff, until you come up with the sauce you love. Then use it as your basic. |
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