When tomato is the main ingredient: If they are available, use fresh, naturally and fully ripened, plum tomatoes. Varieties other than the plum may be used, if they are equally ripe and truly fruity, not watery. If completely satisfactory fresh tomatoes are not available, it is better to use canned imported Italian plum tomatoes. If your local grocers do not carry these, experiment with other canned varieties until you can determine which has the best flavor and consistency. See a brief discussion of fresh and canned tomatoes as a component of Italian cooking.
Cooking-time note For all the tomato sauces that follow, the cooking time given is indicative. If you make a larger quantity of sauce, it will take longer; if the pot is broad and shallow, the sauce will cook faster, if it is deep and narrow, it will cook more slowly. You alone can tell when it’s ready. Taste it for density: It should be neither too thick nor too watery, and for flavor the tomato must lose its raw taste, without losing sweetness or freshness.
Freezer note Wherever indicated, tomato sauces may be frozen successfully. After thawing, simmer for 10 minutes before tossing with pasta.
Reminder If the sauce has butter, always toss the pasta with an additional tablespoon of fresh butter; if it has olive oil, drizzle with raw olive oil while tossing.
Making Fresh Tomatoes Ready for Sauce
Unless the recipe indicates otherwise, fresh, ripe tomatoes must be prepared to use for sauce following one of the two methods given below. The blanching method can lead to a meatier, more rustic consistency. The food mill method produces a silkier, smoother sauce.
The blanching method Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less. Drain them and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them, and cut them up in coarse pieces.
The food mill method Wash the tomatoes in cold water, cut them lengthwise in half, and put them in a covered saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Set a food mill fitted with the disk with the largest holes over a bowl. Transfer the tomatoes with any of their juices to the mill and purée.
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
THIS IS THE SIMPLEST of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste. I have known people to skip the pasta and eat the sauce directly out of the pot with a spoon.
For 6 servings
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described, OR 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt
1 to 1½ pounds pasta
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table
Recommended pasta This is an unsurpassed sauce for Potato Gnocchi, but it is also delicious with factory-made pasta in such shapes as spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni. Serve with grated Parmesan.
Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomato. Stir from time to time, mashing any large piece of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.
Note May be frozen when done. Discard the onion before freezing.
Tomato Sauce with Olive Oil and Chopped Vegetables
THE CARROT AND CELERY in this sauce are put in a crudo, which means without the usual separate and preliminary sautéeing procedure, along with the tomatoes. The sweetness of carrot and the fragrance of celery contribute depth to the fresh tomato flavor of the sauce.
For 6 servings
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described, OR 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
⅔ cup chopped carrot
⅔ cup chopped celery
⅔ cup chopped onion
Salt
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 to 1½ pounds pasta
Recommended pasta This is an all-purpose sauce for most cuts of factory-made pasta, particularly spaghettini and penne.
1. Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the carrot, celery, onion, and salt, and cook with no cover on the pan at a slow, steady simmer for 30 minutes. Stir from time to time.
2. Add the olive oil, raise the heat slightly to bring to a somewhat stronger simmer, and stir occasionally, while reducing the tomato to as much of a pulp as you can with the back of the spoon. Cook for 15 minutes, then taste and correct for salt.
Note May be frozen when done.
Variation with Marjoram and Two Cheeses
The above sauce, cooked through to the end, plus the following:
Marjoram, 2 teaspoons if fresh, 1 if dried
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1. While the sauce is simmering, add the marjoram, stir thoroughly, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
2. Off heat, swirl in the grated Parmesan, then the romano, then the 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Toss immediately with the pasta.
Recommended pasta Excellent with spaghetti, but even better with the thicker, hollow shape, bucatini or perciatelli.
Variation with Rosemary and Pancetta
The basic sauce above, cooked through to the end, plus the following:
2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, chopped very fine, OR a small sprig of fresh rosemary
½ cup pancetta sliced thin and cut into narrow julienne strips
1. While the sauce is simmering, put the olive oil in a small skillet and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, add the rosemary and the pancetta. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon.
2. Transfer the entire contents of the skillet to the saucepan with the tomato sauce, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recommended pasta A shape with crevices or hollows, such as ruote di carro (“cartwheels”), or conchiglie, or fusilli, would be a good choice.
Tomato Sauce with
Sautéed Vegetables and Olive Oil
THIS IS A DENSER, darker sauce than the preceding two, cooked longer over a base of sautéed vegetables.
For 6 servings
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described, OR 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
⅓cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup chopped carrot
⅓ cup chopped celery
Salt
1 to 1½ pounds pasta
Recommended pasta Most factory-made pasta will carry this sauce well, in particular substantial shapes such as rigatoni, ridged penne, or bucatini.
1. If using fresh tomatoes: Put the prepared tomatoes in an uncovered saucepan and cook at a very slow simmer for about 1 hour. Stir from time to time, mashing any pieces of tomato against the sides of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Transfer to a bowl with all their juices.
If using canned tomatoes: Proceed with Step 2, and add the tomatoes where indicated in Step 3.
2. Wipe the saucepan dry with paper towels. Put in the olive oil and the chopped onion, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a very pale gold, add the carrot and celery, and cook at lively heat for another minute, stirring once or twice to coat the vegetables well.
3. Add the cooked fresh tomatoes or the canned, a large pinch of salt, stir thoroughly, and adjust heat to cook in the uncovered pan at a gentle, but steady simmer. If using fresh tomatoes, cook for 15 to 20 minutes; if using the canned, simmer for 45 minutes. Stir from time to time. Before turning off the heat, taste and correct for salt.
Note May be frozen when done.
Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream
For 6 servings
⅓ cup butter
3 tablespoons each onion, carrot
, celery, all chopped very fine
2½ pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared by the food mill method, OR 2½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their juice
Salt
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 to 1½ pounds pasta
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table
Recommended pasta Here is an ideal tomato sauce for stuffed fresh pasta in such versions as Tortelloni Stuffed with Swiss Chard, Prosciutto, and Ricotta, Tortelli Stuffed with Parsley and Ricotta, Green Tortellini with Meat and Ricotta Stuffing, or Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi. Serve with grated Parmesan.
1. Put all the ingredients except for the heavy cream into a saucepan and cook, uncovered, at the merest simmer for 45 minutes. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon. At this point, if using canned tomatoes, purée them through a food mill back into the saucepan.
Note May be frozen up to this point.
2. Adjust heat so that the simmer picks up a little speed. Add the heavy cream. Stir thoroughly and cook for about 1 minute, continuing to stir always.
Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Basil
THIS IS ONE of many versions of the sauce Romans call alla carrettiera. The carrettieri were the drivers of the mule- or even hand-driven carts in which wine and produce were brought down to Rome from its surrounding hills, and the sauces for their pasta were improvised from the least expensive, most abundant, ingredients available to them.
For 4 servings
1 large bunch fresh basil
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described, OR 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 pound pasta
Note Do not be alarmed by the amount of garlic this recipe requires. Because it simmers in the sauce, it is poached, rather than browned, and its flavor is very subdued.
Recommended pasta The ideal shape for tomato alla carrettiera is thin spaghetti—spaghettini—but regular spaghetti would also be satisfactory.
1. Pull all the basil leaves from the stalks, rinse them briefly in cold water, and shake off all the moisture using a colander, a salad spinner, or simply by gathering the basil loosely in a dry cloth towel and shaking it two or three times. Tear all but the tiniest leaves by hand into small pieces.
2. Put the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and several grindings of pepper into a saucepan, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the oil floats free from the tomato. Taste and correct for salt.
3. Off heat, as soon as the sauce is done, mix in the torn-up basil, keeping aside a few pieces to add when tossing the pasta.
Amatriciana—Tomato Sauce
with Pancetta and Chili Pepper
THE ROMAN TOWN of Amatrice, with which this sauce is identified, offers a public feast in August whose principal attraction is undoubtedly the celebrated bucatini—thick, hollow spaghetti—all’Amatriciana. No visitor should pass up, however, the pear-shaped salamis called mortadelle, the pecorino—ewe’s milk cheese—or the ricotta, also made from ewe’s milk. They are among the best products of their kind in Italy.
When making Amatriciana sauce, some cooks add white wine before putting in the tomatoes; I find the result too acidic, but you may want to try it.
For 4 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion chopped fine
A ¼-inch-thick slice of pancetta, cut into strips ½ inch wide and 1 inch long
1½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
Chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
Salt
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese
1 pound pasta
Recommended pasta It’s impossible to say “all’amatriciana” without thinking “bucatini” The two are as indivisible as Romeo and Juliet. But other couplings of the sauce, such as with penne or rigatoni or conchiglie, can be nearly as successful.
1. Put the oil, butter, and onion in a saucepan and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, then add the pancetta. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Add the tomatoes, the chili pepper, and salt, and cook in the uncovered pan at a steady, gentle simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and hot pepper.
2. Toss the pasta with the sauce, then add both cheeses, and toss thoroughly again.
Tomato Sauce with Porcini Mushrooms
For 4 servings
2 tablespoons shallot OR onion chopped fine
2½ tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pancetta, prosciutto, OR unsmoked ham, cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
1½ cups fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, OR canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
A small packet OR 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted
Filtered water from the mushroom soak
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 pound pasta
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table
Recommended pasta Conchiglie, penne, ridged ziti, or a substantial fresh pasta such as tonnarelli or pappardelle, see "Special Noodle Cuts." Serve with grated Parmesan.
1. Put the shallot or onion into a saucepan together with all the butter and oil, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the shallot or onion until it becomes colored a pale gold. Add the strips of pancetta or ham, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring from time to time.
2. Add the cut-up tomatoes with their juice, the reconstituted mushrooms, the strained liquid from the mushroom soak, salt, and several grindings of pepper. Adjust heat so that the sauce bubbles at a gentle, but steady simmer. Cook in the uncovered pan for about 40 minutes, until the fat and the tomato separate, stirring occasionally.
3. After tossing the pasta with the sauce, serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.
Mushroom Sauce with Ham and Tomato
For 4 to 6 servings
¾ pound fresh white mushrooms
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly mashed
⅓ cup boiled unsmoked ham cut into very narrow julienne strips, ⅛ inch wide or less
A small packet OR 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted
Filtered water from the mushroom soak
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped fine, with their juice
1 pound pasta
Recommended pasta Short shapes of factory-made pasta: maccheroncini, penne, ziti, conchiglie, or fusilli.
1. Wash the fresh white mushrooms very rapidly under cold running water. Pat them thoroughly dry with a soft towel and cut them into very thin lengthwise slices, leaving the caps attached to the stems.
2. Put the oil and mashed garlic cloves into a large sauté pan and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook and stir the garlic until it becomes colored a light nut brown, then remove it from the pan.
3. Add the ham strips, stir once or twice, then add the reconstituted porcini mushrooms and their filtered water. Cook at lively heat until all the mushroom liquid has evaporated.
4. Add the fresh mushrooms, the chopped parsley, salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Stir for about half a minute, add the tomatoes and their juice, and stir thoroughly once again to coat all ingredients. Adjust the heat so that the sauce bubbles at a steady pace in the uncovered pan, and cook for 25 minutes or so until the oil separates and floats free.
Note Do not expect the fresh mushrooms to be firm; they are being cooked in the
manner of porcini and, like porcini, they will be very tender when done.
Eggplant Sauce with Tomato and Red Chili Pepper
For 4 servings
About 1 pound eggplant
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying the eggplant
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1¾ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
Chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
1 pound pasta
Recommended pasta No other shape carries this sauce as well as spaghettini, thin factory-made spaghetti.
1. Trim and slice the eggplant, steep it in salt, and fry it. Set aside to drain on a cooling rack or on a platter lined with paper towels.
2. Put the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the garlic until it becomes lightly colored. Add the parsley, tomatoes, chili pepper, and salt, and stir thoroughly. Adjust heat so that the sauce simmers steadily but gently, and cook for about 25 minutes, until the oil separates and floats free.
3. Cut the fried eggplant into slivers about ½ inch wide. Add to the sauce, cooking it another 2 or 3 minutes, while stirring once or twice. Taste and correct for salt and hot pepper.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 18