I usually have a sauciness in my personality, but due to my post-holiday sluggishness, the only sauciness I can muster today is red sauciness. All of the leftovers are gone, and before I cuddle up under a blanket on this cold rainy winter day, it is time to get saucy. I am in for the rest of the day and looking forward to filling my home once again with wonderful cooking smells.
I think you would be surprised at how many different variations and recipes there are for red sauce. My sauce recipe, which came from my mother, includes sugar which I hadn’t realized was actually a big deal to some people. Years ago I was asked by an Italian woman if I was a “sugar or no sugar in sauce” person. I was surprised by the question, and even more surprised by the look on her face when I said “sugar”. As you can probably guess, she was not.
As I mentioned in my Weeknight Bolognese blog, I am not a huge fan of red sauce unless it has cream in it. However, as far as red sauce goes, I really like this recipe and have never wanted to change it. This recipe makes a lot and even if you are using it for chicken parmesan or lasagna, you will still have plenty left to freeze and use another time.
One thing to keep in mind is that I don’t really measure any of the ingredients, I just eyeball it so these measurements are approximate.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. Minced Garlic
2 – 6oz. cans of tomato paste
2 – 28oz. cans ground tomatoes
2 tsps. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsps. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsps. dried basil
2 tsps. dried parsley
1 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup red wine
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over low/medium heat. Saute chopped onion in oil until it starts to get soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, be careful to stir frequently and watch the garlic as it burns quickly.
Add the 2 cans of tomato paste, then use the empty cans to add 5 cans of water. Stir until the paste starts to mix with the water. Add the ground tomatoes and stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Stir well and cover with the lid cracked. Simmer over low heat for at least an hour, but preferably longer. Stir frequently so that the sauce does not burn.
Add to your favorite pasta, and Mangia!