Italian Pomodoro Pasta Sauce
Italian tomato sauce perfect companion for pastas.
Servings Prep Time
4servings 20minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Servings Prep Time
4servings 20minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a preheated medium size pan add 1 tbsp of olive oil, butter and garlic cloves. Over a medium heat (5 out of 10) brown the garlic cloves. Use a small spoon to bask the garlic cloves and brown them evenly. We want to brown them, but being careful to avoid burning. Set aside in a small bowl.
  2. Over a high heat (10 out of 10) preheat a small sauce pan with thick bottom. Add 60 ml of olive oil and as oil starts to smoke carefully add 150 ml of Italian tomato purée (passata). I use a metal cup with a handle, that allows me to lower it in the sauce pan, closer to the oil surface, and than pour it out in a slow, even circular motion. The sauce will start to bubble and splatter, DO NOT STIR!!!
  3. Sprinkle in salt and brown sugar, DO NOT STIR! Cook for a several minutes until bubbles get small and the surface of tomato sauce appears like it is simmering. At that point add diced onions, quartered cherry tomatoes and stir the sauce for the first time. If you did everything properly there will be no burned tomatoes at the sauce pan bottom.
  4. Reduce heat to a medium high (5 out of 10) and cook until tomatoes melt into the sauce.
  5. Add 150 ml of tomato purée (passata), some freshly grated lemon zest, garlic cloves and butter you cooked at the beginning, ground pepper, red and white wine, vodka, and stir it all together. Partially cover the sauce pan and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Add cayenne pepper, stir an partially cover again. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  7. Stir in minced fresh basil and move sauce pan off the heat. Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then purée it using a stick blender. To finish stir in a red wine vinegar.
Recipe Notes

Make sure that the sauce pan is made out of non reactive material and not aluminum or cast iron. Resist temptation to stir the sauce. The idea is to fry tomato puree on a hot oil. The oil will separate the sauce from hot sauce pan bottom and prevent burning. If you end up with burned sauce you either did not have a sauce pan with heavy bottom or you stirred too early.