NANA SARNO’S RED SAUCE

images MAKES 6 TO 8 CUPS

Our nana was a second-generation Italian American who lived in Billerica, Massachusetts. Whenever you walked through her door, the aromas of this red sauce filled your nose with anticipation. Every time, no matter what time of day. She could be making meatballs, sausages, lasagna, or manicotti. Any way, this sauce was the gravy, the glue that held everything together—sometimes, it held the family together, too! It’s a simple sauce, but you can’t just throw everything in a pot. That would make a stew or a fresh pomodoro sauce. To make this classic, slow-simmered red sauce, you have to build layers of flavor one by one. Follow these steps and you’ll always have a great sauce to hold together whatever dish you are making.

Everyday olive oil

1 white onion, diced small

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced small

1½ teaspoons minced fresh oregano

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cans (28 ounces each) San Marzano tomatoes, drained

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

About ¼ teaspoon organic cane sugar, optional (see Pro Tips)

Large handful of basil leaves, torn

image Heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Sauté the onions in the oil until they look golden around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and oregano. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, then sauté until the peppers are soft, about 5 minutes.

image Use your hands to pinch and pull out the canned tomatoes’ cores, then crush the tomatoes right into the pot. Add the tomato paste and sugar. Fill the tomato paste can 4 times with water, adding the water to the pan, and stir until incorporated. Simmer the sauce uncovered over low heat for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring now and then to prevent burning. Use an immersion blender in the pot, or an upright blender, to puree the sauce—or, for the perfect rustic texture, use a food mill.

image Return the sauce to low heat and simmer until the flavors blend, an additional 1 to 1½ hours. Taste the sauce, and add salt, pepper, and sugar until it tastes good to you. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.

Pro Tips

image Cheater chopping: Pulse the onion in a food processor. While it’s sautéing, pulse the garlic and bell pepper as well. Then chop the canned tomatoes the same way. If you use a food mill when it’s done cooking, the mill will strain out the seeds for you.

image Nana used fresh tomatoes whenever possible. To do that, peel, seed, and chop 6 pounds fresh San Marzano tomatoes and use instead of the canned.

image If your tomatoes are sweet enough, you will not need the pinch of sugar. Alternatively, you could get a little sweetness by adding ½ cup finely shredded carrot when sautéing the onions.