Marinara Simplicile
Simple Marinara
I think it must be my mission on earth to get people to stop buying those jars of sugary and over-complicated concoctions labeled as “tomato sauce”.
With the slightest bit of extra effort, you can make a sauce that is a million times more delicious and fresh tasting. So just put down that jar of anything too watery masquerading as ragù or anything named after the Italian word for “you’re welcome”. You’re better than that.
At least humor me by hearing me out…
“It’s a real chef’s flavor,” Ms. Bastianich said. “It takes work to get to the simplicity.”
Several years ago, Julia Moskin wrote perhaps a definitive article for the New York Times about the art of a simple tomato sauce. in a article called Marinara worth Mastering. When I read it, I felt like somebody finally put into words all the things I felt. Moskin interviews the brilliant Lidia Bastianich who speaks of tomato sauce as a “real chef’s flavor,” that “ takes work to get to the simplicity.”
Moskin’s Classic Marinara Sauce has 7 sliced garlic cloves, fresh basil, 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of dried pepper flakes or a couple of whole chilis and a teaspoon of salt. She was right on target. What else can you expect from somebody named Julia who was named after another famous Julia, Child to be exact?
I wouldn’t change a thing in Julia Moskin’s recipe except to let you know that the chilis and the garlic are really extra if you are making it as a condiment for pasta, meatballs or pizza. Without garlic and chili flake, this sauce is like taking a trip to the region of Campania where my people are from. It is scrumptious and I crave it almost every day.
That’s no lie, ragazzi. Every. Day. I admittedly have a problem. But I sort of feel like I could have cravings that are so much worse. So in this case, I’ll take my tomato sauce addiction and own it.
If you wanna get fancy, you can add some smashed, chopped or sliced garlic depending on your tolerance and taste and some Calabrian chili flakes or a diavolilo or whole Calabrian chili or two when you start heating the olive oil and before the tomatoes. How about a couple of fresh bay leaves? You could also simply look up the most incredible Italian cooks for support like Marcella Hazan, whom we’ve lost, but her son Giuliano Hazan keeps her incredible legacy alive. How about the incredible Mary Ann Esposito whose series Ciao Italia has been running on PBS for thirty years and thirteen cookbooks? Or the indefatigable teacher, well-loved in our home, Lidia Bastianich whom I’ve watched religiously for twenty-two years? Perhaps you’d enjoy the spicy and delightful Rosetta Costantino of My Calabria fame. Take a moment and visit these websites. These people are unbelievable references for Italian cooking, history and culture, and they will walk you through every step. You really can’t go wrong. Just keep it simple.
The fresh sweet/savory San Marzano tomato sauce wants to sing about it’s perfect acidity brought to you by the smiling and formidable Mt. Vesuvius’ volcanic soil. For me, there is no other tomato to use. Believe me. It’s worth the extra buck or two for the D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes. After all, you were going to buy that jar of celebrity chef sauce for $6.99!
For the tomato sauce you will need:
4 jars of the best tomato passata- preferably pomodori San Marzano marked D. O. P. or Denominazione d’Origine Protetta, (protected designation of origin) You could also use a can or two of whole San Marzano tomatoes that you must squash with your hands. Do not blitz them in the food processor or with the immersion blender. Adding air and pulverizing the seeds makes the sauce lighter and pinker. Use the tomato squishers that God-gave you.
best extra-virgin olive oil
a whole stalk of fresh basil
salt and pepper
Heat up a good 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in your heavy bottomed rather large pot. Pour your four jars of passata into the sizzling oil. Add a little water to the jars, sloshing them around to get every bit. Salt quanto basta or how you like it. Skip the pepper. I believe that less is more here. Bring temperature up until it begins bubbling. Keep it bubbling on a simmer for 20-30 minutes. You will smell the tomato acidity level change at about 20 minutes. To my nose, it goes from smelling like raw tomatoes to suddenly smelling like Nonna’s house. Don’t fret. You will detect the different aroma. There’s a definite and delicious change in it. It will smell like every amazing pizza joint you ever walked into. Now throw a bunch of basil leaves with the stem into the sauce and turn it off.
So instead of reaching for that preservative and strangely colored jar of celebrity chef tomato sauce, grab a bunch of fresh basil, a can or jar of hand-squished San Marzano tomatoes or passata and heat it up in a pan, with or without garlic and chili flakes, in the oil before your pour in the tomatoes.
It is that simple, amici.
Not convinced? Well, go buy a jar of the “you’re welcome” brand of sauce or your fancy chef brand sauce and make this traditional marinara. Then, give it to your family to compare.
You’ll see.
Now go make some meatballs….
Check out my upcoming post about my family’s Neapolitan Meatball called Il Cuore della Polpetta / The Heart of a Meatball coming on October 16th!
