Homemade Marinara Sauce With Fresh Herbs Recipes

FRESH TOMATO MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring the liquid from the tomatoes to a boil, reduce to medium-low, and simmer mixture until tomatoes are softened, about 30 minutes.
• Stir red wine, honey, basil, oregano, marjoram, salt, black pepper, fennel seed, and crushed red pepper into the tomato mixture; bring again to a simmer and cook until herbs have flavored the sauce, about 30 minutes more.
• Stir balsamic vinegar into the sauce.

MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Cut onion and carrot into chunks. Trim tops from fennel, then cut fennel in half lengthwise, cut out dense core in a V, and cut bulb into chunks. Pulse vegetables and half the garlic cloves in a food processor until finely chopped, but don't pulse so much that you create a puree. Chop remaining garlic by hand and set aside.
• Heat a large frying pan over medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, and when it's hot, add vegetables from food processor. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft and fragrant but not browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add reserved chopped garlic to vegetables and cook until softened but not browned, another 2 minutes. To create deeper flavor, ''toast'' the tomato paste: Scoot the vegetables to one side of the pan, drop in the tomato paste, and cook it while scraping and stirring until it has browned slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in both types of tomato and the 1/4 cup olive oil. Then stir in 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and the rosemary sprigs. Stack basil leaves, roll, cut crosswise into shreds, and add them to sauce.
• Adjust heat so sauce bubbles gently. Cover pan and cook sauce 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove lid and continue to simmer until sauce reduces and thickens slightly, another 30 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping around sides of the pan.
• Taste sauce and add more salt or red pepper flakes; or if sauce still seems acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Remove rosemary sprigs and discard, but don't worry about rosemary needles that will have fallen off. They are soft and tasty now!
• Serve marinara with any pasta shape, soft polenta, or meatballs; or use as a pizza topping. Store in refrigerator up to 5 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

MARINARA SAUCE WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful not to brown the garlic. Add the wine and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the wine is reduced by half.
• Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes, and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, oregano, and anchovy paste. Stir the sauce and taste for seasoning, adding salt as needed. If the sauce is too acidic, add the sugar. (It will help round out the flavor of the sauce.) Stir and simmer the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes. For a thicker sauce, cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Make Ahead
• The sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.