Hi all!
I know that February is actually the shortest month, but looking back at my calendar makes March 1st feel like yesterday. And honestly, I’m glad the day is gone. With the upheaval of life brought on by COVID-19 I am more than happy to kiss March goodbye.
My word for March was “open". And while I could probably conjure up something meaningful about that, I’d prefer to ask you to be open! I’d like you to be open to trying new things. Specifically - my tomato sauce recipe.
As I sit here stroking Lou White’s cat, Zoey, I realize many of us have very few things to do at home these days. And maybe you’re tired of reading or watching or talking. So I hope you feel excited to stand in front of a stove with some delicious ingredients and make a simple tomato sauce! Mangiamo!
Italians in the Kitchen, pt 1.
Martha Anne’s Simple Tomato Sauce
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 pints of ripe cherry tomatoes
- 1-3 cloves of garlic (per preference)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine
- 1/4 cup of fresh basil (chopped if preferred)
- salt/paper
Optional add-ins: onions, red pepper flakes, dried oregano
Italians in the Kitchen, pt. 2
Instructions:
- finely dice 1 to 3 cloves of garlic (I’d suggest 2 or 3) and cut a majority of the cherry tomatoes in half
- heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium high heat
- add garlic to pan and let it slightly brown. continue to stir with a wooden spoon/spatula to ensure garlic doesn’t burn.
- once garlic is lightly browned, add cherry tomatoes to pan. stir every 3 to 5 minutes. cook until they mush fairly easily with spoon.
- season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- after about 10 minutes of cooking, add white wine. turn heat down to medium.
*if sauce gets too thin, slowly stir in flour to thicken. if sauce is too thick, slowly add more wine.
- add basil to pan and reduce heat to low and place lid on pan. continue to stir periodically for a few minutes.
*Author’s Note: ALWAYS add your pasta TO your sauce, not vice versa. remember in chemistry when you had to add your acid/base to your water, not the other way around? same thing. it’s science.
Molto bene! Bellissima! Feel free to take creative license with your sauce. And send me a picture when you’re done.
xoxo,
Martha Anne
famiglia