Judy’s Homemade Tomato Sauce with Pasta

Ok, before I bore you to death with all these details. How about a recipe? I know we haven’t covered everything you need in a kitchen, but you can review the recipe and get what you need or save it for later.


Let me just say; “There is no substitute for homemade Italian tomato sauce.”

This is one of my favorites and as recipes go this one is a moving target. There are just so many thing you can add and proportions that can be changed and its always good!

Believe me on this one: any professional chef worth his salt, will never use canned tomato sauce when there’s time and ingredients to make a fresh homemade one. Now, that’s not to say you can’t use canned tomatoes for the base. In fact that is the smart thing to do, especially considering the fact tomatoes canned at their peak of flavorful are far superior to fresh ones that have been picked green to ripen in shipping and arrive with the usual bruising!

It's the tomatoes combined with the other ingredients that make homemade tomato sauce so awesome. You can add capers and sliced ripe olives. You can add intensely flavored herbs like rosemary, Italian parsley and basil. Yum!

You can even add brandy (I do it all the time) or vodka and all Italians know red wine is pretty good in this tomato sauce. Give it a final boost with a teaspoon or 2 of fresh lemon juice and 3-4 tablespoons brandy. Sh…! I could go on forever! Ok, here's the recipe:

Judy’s Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (Yes you’ll need a chef’s knife and try not to cry.)
3-5 cloves garlic, crushed with flat of knife and sliced thinly
1/2 to 1 cup diced, fresh basil. (It's your call. I usually use 1/2 cup and add more to taste)
1/2 cup red wine. (Good enough to drink, there’ll be some left over and you’ll want to have that with the meal)
1 T turbinado (raw) sugar (or Splenda) (You can also substitute a grated carrot or a ¼ cup of chopped raisins.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (there’s that taste again)
1 28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes.
1 t lemon juice (optional)
3 T brandy (optional)
1 lb.-1 pkg. spaghetti or pasta of your choice

Preparation:
Fill a large pot 2/3 with water and place on high heat. Add salt to the water, it should have a slightly salty taste.

In a large sauté pan sauté onions in olive oil over low heat, covered, for 10-12 minutes.

Add garlic and basil, re-cover, for another 5 minutes or so.

Uncover and add wine. Reduce by about half.

Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. You can reduce the sauce further and intensify the flavor.

Add pasta to boiling water and stir gently. Set timer to shortest time in package directions.

I like to add the brandy and lemon juice about 3-4 minutes before finishing.

If you want to turn this sauce into Neapolitan Sauce, add 10-12 sliced ripe olives, and 1 1/2 T capers just before finishing.

Fresh Italian Parsley can be added at the end if you like it.

Drain the pasta in a strainer (yes, buy a large one first, you can get smaller ones later.) DO NOT add oil or rinse the pasta. The starch on the surface of the pasta helps the sauce to cling to it, giving it a full flavor.

Place a portion of pasta on dish and add sauce to taste! That’s it!

Freeze any sauce you have left over in a plastic container. You can thaw it out in the microwave or in warm water in no time. Leftover pasta? Place it in a zip lock plastic bag and freeze it. To use it just thaw it in warm water and your ready to go! Restaurant chefs do it all the time. Why not you?

Here a great tip! Double the recipe and freeze it in batches. That way if you have to eat on the go, just heat and eat! It will beat fast food every time!

J