Pomodoro Sauce

    I mentioned before my inexplicable aversion to tomatoes; this aversion extends to anything with tomatoes in it, including sauces. One might think that a sauce that is basically smooth, with only a few soft tomato chunks, would fly under my radar. This conclusion would be wrong. I have an uncanny ability to detect, locate, and extract every single chunk present in my meal. And this talent extends to more than just tomato sauce: Rice, yoghurt, refried beans, lasagna. You name it, if it has chunks in it there will be a small pile of said chunks left on my plate when I am done eating. I’m working through the problem and I’m happy to report I am having some measure of success; guacamole and orzo salad are two recent accomplishments of mine. I can now eat both without examining and de-chunking every bite I take. But I do still avoid chunks where possible. This is why the greatest kitchen appliance I have ever been given is an immersion blender. Stick this thing into any liquid-y substance whatsoever and BAM, it’s chunk-free. It has been of incalculable value to me in the making of sauces, as I can now consume whole tomatoes (and, thus, all of their nutrients), without wanting to gag.

    I have countless variations of my tomato sauce, depending on my mood and the ingredients available to me. This recipe is the original/ideal recipe (with one potential variation, if you feel like making it from scratch). This sauce is an excellent base for lots of recipes, including lasagna, pizza, and tomato soup, so don’t be afraid to make a big batch and either freeze or refrigerate it for use in other dishes.

Pomodoro Sauce

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano is good)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and onions. Cook onions until they begin to become clear, then add the garlic. Allow garlic to simmer for 1 min, and then add wine. Allow wine to boil for 2 minutes, then add tomatoes. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then immersion blend (only if you prefer a smooth sauce, like me. You may need to transfer sauce to a deeper bowl to do this). Add basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot. Allow extra sauce to cool before storing.

From-Scratch

Additional Ingredients:
8-12 tomatoes, diced (these replace the canned tomatoes)
4 additional Tbsp olive oil (8 total)

Directions:
In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and tomatoes. Allow tomatoes to soften and begin to seep juices out into olive oil, then add onions. Cook until onions begin to become clear, then add the garlic. Allow garlic to simmer for 1 min, and then add wine. Allow wine to boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow to cool, then immersion blend. (If you do not have an immersion blender, I would suggest blending tomatoes in a regular blender before adding to the pan. This will give your sauce a much more sauce-like consistency). Add oregano, basil, salt, and pepper, and allow it to simmer for 4 minutes.