I am of the opinion that if you have a good tomato
sauce recipe in your repertoire, you are well on your way to becoming a decent
home cook. If you have mastered that, after all, you can make winning pastas
and lasagnas and pizzas and all manner of sloppy sandwiches. Moreover, you have glimpsed
the reality that all things are possible.
This recipe is the first tomato sauce I ever tried
and also happens to be the best.
There is nothing in the world like the smell of
garlic sizzling in olive oil, and, minutes later, the taste of a rich, hearty
tomato sauce. It’s the epitome of comfort.
Also: enormously handy in a pinch. When I am on a
budget, I make this sauce. When I get home from work at nine o’clock, famished,
and have nothing in the fridge, I make this sauce. When I have friends coming over for
dinner on a weeknight (what was I thinking?), I make this sauce. I wouldn’t even
dream of ordering takeout. Why would I?
This recipe is happily available online, and I have
taken to recommending it to people frequently. I can’t tell you how many have made their
first forays in the kitchen with it. I converted all of my non-cooking family
and friends – and then I was forced to branch out.
Recently I was getting my face made up when I sung its praises to the makeup artist,
who until then had only ever used jarred sauces. The next time that I arrived in her chair, she greeted me with an enormous hug and raved about how the sauce had
changed her life. Then she took extra long on my makeup. So you'd be surprised
what a humble little tomato sauce can do for you.
Magic
Tomato Sauce
Adapted
from David Rocco's Dolce Vita (one of my fave cookbooks)
Serves 4
3 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, put through garlic press
pinch of chili flakes
796 ml can of roma tomatoes (no extra seasoning)
salt, to taste
1. Rinse tomatoes under water to get rid of seeds.
Place in bowl with juice. Break up tomatoes with your hands. Set aside.
2. Pour olive oil into frying pan and add garlic and
chili flakes. Heat over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned.
3. Add tomatoes. Simmer and allow to reduce for 20-30
minutes, depending on the consistency you like.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta of your choosing.
Note: this recipe is a wonderful foundation for all sorts of pasta dishes. Feel free to add grated Parmesan cheese, cracked black pepper, chopped basil or Italian flat-leaf parsley, capers, black olives or even walnuts.
