Italian tomato sauce
Italian tomato sauce: amongst all the foods in Italy, this fresh tomato sauce recipe is the base of most pasta sauce recipes.
The typical Italian spaghetti sauce is the so-called sugo. It is one of those healthy cooking recipes that can be used with any pasta ...at any time!
It's the basis for many other sauces and dishes (eggplant parmigiana , stuffed zucchini...). It is simple, but at the same time requires careful attention when being prepared.
The better the ingredients, the better the result you're going to have. Remember, in Italian food the quality of the ingredients is a very important factor.
Ingredients (4 people):
- 4 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cans of peeled tomatoes
- each can 14 ounces (if you have the time and the patience to use fresh tomatoes ... peeled, it'll be even better!)
- 1 minced onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- Chopped parsley
- some fresh basil leaves (If you don't have any, don't worry. You can use dry leaves or don't add basil at all. You can add it during cooking time or at the end, to keep the flavor fresh). Italian tomato sauce matches well with some aromas, such as basil, parsley, oregano and more. Use dried ones if you cannot have them fresh.
- salt
- some people add minced carrot (1 is enough) and minced celery (a stalk), but it is up to you.
How to prepare:
Put the oil in a pan (it's better to use a "deep" pan, to avoid splashing),
turn on the gas and add the minced onion. Leave it for a while, stirring to avoid overcooking and then add the minced garlic and the carrot and celery (if you decide to use them), plus the parsley.
After browning for a while, add the peeled tomatoes
Mix all the ingredients and leave on high heat for a while. As the mixture begins to boil, regulate the gas to prevent overcooking but leave on medium heat for a while. Otherwise you'll get a "too liquid" sauce and a good one should be dense. Stir every now and then.
When is your Italian tomato sauce ready? This will be when the oil has separated from the tomatoes. It'll take about half an hour for this quantity, but pay attention when you stir it, so that you'll notice that the oil separates from the tomato cream sauce.
When it's ready, you just need to add it to your cooked pasta. As I said elsewhere on the site, place the grated Grana or Parmigiano cheese on the pasta, mix it and then add your sugo. The cheese will adhere to the pasta and together with the sugo.
Buon appetito!
If you're new to Italian tomato sauce, try this quantity for now. After that, you'll find that it is more convenient to cook bigger quantities and store in the refrigerator (it lasts for 4 or 5 days with no problem).
Italian tomato sauce with meat
There's a very widely used variation of this fresh tomato sauce recipe that includes meat. Usually veal meat. You can use ground meat or have it quite minced, cut in small cubes.The recipe remains the same, with the addition of meat. For the recipe above, it's enough to add 200g of meat, after browning a little onion and garlic. Allow to fry, mixing it well. When it's done add the tomatoes and proceed as per the previous instructions.
This sauce, made with meat, is ideal for lasagna, eggplant parmiggiana and stuffed zucchini. It is one of those healthy dinner recipes, as you have a complete meal with one dish - the proteins from the meat and cheese, plus the carbohydrates of the pasta and vitamins from the tomato.
tip:Tomato sauce can also be eaten as it is, accompanied with good bread or in the "old way". Take a small pan, place some tomato sauce in it and heat; then add an egg and cook the mixture, stirring it regularly. Eat with wet Sardinian bread
...buon appetito!
