I have always loved pasta. Spaghetti was one of my favourite meals as a child but it was all about the tomato sauce for me. I liked tomato sauce with a little pasta and I haven’t changed much in that regard.
So here is a tomato sauce adapted from Samin Nosrat’s recipe at the NYT It is sweet, rich, luxurious and simple to make.
Use it on pasta, pizza, or in lasagna. It’s a winner!
Ingredients
2 large or 3 medium brown or red onions, peeled and chopped
800 grams organic tomato passata (or fresh chemical free tomatoes, chopped)
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbs organic tomato paste (no salt added)
fresh stems from one bunch of basil (or 1 tbs dried basil)
3 fresh red chillies, stems removed and chopped or 1 tsp chilli flakes(optional)
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
Method
Heat a medium size Dutch oven to low and add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Cover and let the onions cook slowly for 20 minutes. Stir every few minutes to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the onions start to stick, lower the heat and if necessary add a splash of water. Do not skimp on the cooking time here. It allows the onions to caramelise and gives the sauce its sweetness.
Add the tomato paste and cook for several minutes.
Add the tomato passata (or fresh tomatoes) along with 1 1/2 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil and add the basil stems (or dried basil), garlic and chillies. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes stirring every few minutes to make sure the sauce is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Add the salt, taste and make any necessary adjustments. Blend the sauce in a high speed blender. It is worth using a blender as it makes the sauce extra smooth and combines the flavours. The sweetness of the onions tempers the chilli so it does not taste spicy.
This sauce is versatile and can be frozen for future use.