Marcella's tomato sauce, and the onion you throw away
Three things, one of which you bin. Trust her, and me.
At a Glance
Story
No soffritto, no garlic, no browning, no herbs, and somehow it eats like a Sunday that took all day. The butter is the whole conjuring trick, melting down into the tomatoes until the sauce turns improbably silky, so pay no mind to anyone who tells you to trim it back. And treat the onion as a guest rather than a component. It lends the pot its sweetness while it softens, then gets shown the door before serving, having charmed the room and eaten nothing.
Ingredients
- 1 × 28 oz can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoeswith their juices
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 onionpeeled and halved
- salt
Method
It looks like almost nothing written down, and tastes like something you would gladly pay for in Bologna. Makes enough to dress a pound of pasta.
- Tip the tomatoes and all their juices into a saucepan. Add the butter and drop in the two onion halves, cut side down. A pinch or two of salt.
- Set it over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Now leave it mostly alone for about 45 minutes, uncovered, giving it a stir now and then and crushing any stubborn tomatoes against the side of the pan with the back of your spoon. It will thicken and the butter will pull the whole thing into one glossy sauce.
- Fish out and discard the onion. Taste for salt, correct it, and toss with hot pasta. That is the entire recipe, and you will make it for the rest of your life.
Save the spent onion halves if you like, they are soft and sweet and rather good pushed onto toast, though nobody will judge you for binning them as directed.
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