Classic marinara sauce
4 Mar
Have you ever tried making the same recipe multiple times unsuccessfully? It’s one of the most frustrating things I’ve experienced. My otherwise capable self does not like this feeling of not knowing how to do something to seemingly easy.
One time, I spent an hour boiling tomatoes and then slaving over the sauce. I ended up with a sauce that was so full of liquid that you could have poured it into a cup to drink. I tried adding flour to make it thicker (until it congealed in the fridge and grossed me out). Then the next time, I added cornstarch, which turned out even worse!!
I made a couple of changes to see if I can fare better this time. And luckily, I did. Instead of using a stainless steel pot, I used to a thick anodized saucepan, thanks to a generous gift from a friend (thanks R!). I also tried using canned tomatoes this time, mainly because I didn’t want to waste good tomatoes again like last time.
Speaking of tomatoes, there is a shortage of tomatoes due to bad weather in Florida. Fresh tomato prices are on the rise so a lot of restaurants are starting to feel the pinch. Chicken wing prices have also gone up but for some reason, it doesn’t make me as sad.
Recipe: Basic marinara sauce
Ingredients:
12.8 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
1 sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chiffonade
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, minced
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Freshly grated cheese
Procedure:
1. In a saucepan, saute garlic over medium flame with a little bit of oil.
2. Add red pepper flakes, oregano, and tomatoes. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Simmer until tomatoes can be easily crushed with a fork.
4. Cook sauce until sauce thickens, about 15 more minutes.
5. Serve over pasta.
If you have a good basic marinara recipe, feel free to share them in the comments. I’d really like to know!
