Italian tomato sauce

(from BlueFinger’s recipe box)

Source: http://www.newitalianrecipes.com/tomato-sauce.html

Categories: italian, not tried, pasta, sauce, tomato

Ingredients

  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3-5 cloves garlic, crushed with flat of knife and sliced thinly
  • 1/2 to 1 cup diced, fresh basil. (It's your call. We usually use close to a cup)
  • 1/2 cup red wine. (Good enough quality to drink)
  • 1 T turbinado (raw) sugar (or Splenda)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 28 oz. (=2x400g) can crushed or diced tomatoes.
  • 1 t lemon juice (optional)
  • 3 T brandy (optional)

Directions

  1. Sauté onions in olive oil over low heat, covered, for 10-12 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and basil, re-cover, for another 5 minutes or so.

  3. Uncover and add wine. Reduce by about half.

  4. Add tomatoes and S & P and simmer for 15 minutes. You can reduce the sauce further and intensify the flavor. We like to add the brandy and lemon juice about 3-4 minutes before finishing.

  5. 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.

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

  7. For a nice twist, add 3-5 crushed and chopped anchovies. You talk about kicking something up a notch! Especially good in fish stew (Cioppino). Yum!!!

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