Pomodoro Italian Tomato Sauce Recipes

BASIC TOMATO (POMODORO) SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in sugar, and season with salt, to taste.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain.
• Serve sauce over hot pasta with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of basil, and cheese.
• Let extra sauce cool completely and then seal in airtight containers. Refrigerate for up 1 week and freeze for up to 1 month.

SUGO DI POMODORO (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add passata, basil, and salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomato sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove garlic halves before serving.

PERFECT POMODORO SAUCE

Steps:

• Start off by mincing the onions. They must be as small as possible. Set aside in a bowl.
• Mince the garlic, then form a garlic paste.
• **Note** To form a garlic paste, mince garlic, add some sea or kosher salt and olive oil, and use the back end of a chef's knife to work the garlic into a paste.
• For the whole tomatoes, remove each tomato by hand and place into a food processor. Leave puree in the can. Pulse the tomatoes until crushed, leaving some texture. Strain through a fine mesh sieve - you'll remove about 1 cup of water. Discard the water and add crushed tomatoes back to puree in the can. Set aside.
• In a sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic for about 3-5 minutes, or until garlic begins to smell like it's roasted. It should just start to be taking on color. This step is very important and one where you have to go by the smell rather than the color of the garlic. Once you begin to smell that roasted garlic smell, the onion/garlic is ready. Stir constantly.
• Add tomato paste and stir, cooking the paste for 1 minute.
• Add wine and stir. The wine should instantly thicken, due to the tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes. It is not necessary to reduce.
• Reduce heat to medium/low.
• Add red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir and cook briefly for 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes you pureed and the crushed tomatoes. Stir, cover pot and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce can be cooked longer, but I prefer a more vibrant tomato taste. The longer you cook it, the more rich the tomato flavor will become. This is totally personal preference. After 20 minutes, my pasta water is boiling away and I start cooking the pasta.
• When your pasta is finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. I always add at least 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the sauce. It helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
• Tips on pasta - never, never, never, never add oil to the water and never rinse your cooked pasta. The pasta can be drained and added directly to the sauce, or add your drained pasta to a bowl and toss with 1 cup of your tomato sauce.
• Add basil to sauce right before serving, as basil looses it's flavor immediately from the heat. Also do a final seasoning adjustment, if necessary right before serving. I like to add a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and an extra pinch of red pepper flakes.
• I cannot stress enough the steps are important, and this generally takes me 15 minutes max to put together -- but all ingredients are personal choice. Add more or less of whatever you like.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA'S TOMATO SAUCE (POMODORO BASILICO)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a pan on on medium heat. Saute onions in oil until transparent (about 5-7 minutes). Add tomatoes, 1/4 of the basil and pepper flakes.
• Simmer about 45 minutes. Add butter and remaining basil. If sauce is too thick, add some pasta cooking water.
• Serve over pasta.

CAPELLINI POMODORO (PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
• Score a shallow "x" in the bottom of the tomatoes. Add tomatoes to the boiling water and cook uncovered until skin starts to peel off, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Peel tomatoes.
• Transfer peeled tomatoes to a food mill, and process until smooth.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, saving 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
• While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add garlic and salt and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes and as much pasta water as desired. Simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide pasta amongst 4 serving bowls. Top with tomato sauce and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve immediately.