PASTA + TOMATO SERIES: Pomarola
Pasta + Tomato: hands-down, my death row meal. I love tomatoes. In July, the mere sight of them at the farmers market induces a wave of elation followed by a relentless fear that I won't have the chance to eat enough of them to sustain me through the long and boring winter months. Tomato season is now ending, and in honor of this- welcome to the first, in a 3-part series, on the simple, and wonderful, tomato sauce. Let's eat this all week and then wave a satisfied goodbye to the best fruit/vegetable until next year.
I’ve been asked before how to make a simple summer tomato sauce. The answer is that there are 3 basic sauces, and they are all equally good. I have very strong opinions about store-bought tomato sauce, and I *think* that after you try one of these, you might just ditch the jar and come into the fold. I’ll spare you the rant (because I like being liked) and start wit this: for the love of tomatoes- welcome to the pasta pomodoro series!
The first of the 3 is what mom refers to as a Pomarola. It's rich, a little more labor-intensive than the others, and actually translates well in the winter months using a can of whole-peeled roma tomatoes. I puree this sauce for a smooth, velvety, luscious pasta coating.
Stay tuned, when the tomatoes reappear, for the next of the three tomato sauces.
SERVING DETAILS
4 Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 10-12 medium sized san marzano, roma or plum tomatoes which are super ripe.
- 1 small onion or half a large onion, finely diced
- 1 small carrot or half a large carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- a few sprigs of basil
- 1 lb of Spaghetti or another smooth long pasta.
- Olive oil, salt and Parmigiano Reggiano
METHOD
- Cut an X into the bottom of the tomatoes
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Boil the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes, until the skin just starts to peel up. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy bottom fry pan, and add the onion and season generously with salt. Cook until just translucent but not brown, about 5 minutes at med-low.
- Add the onion and carrots and season again with a little salt. Allow to cook they are all very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gently peel the tomatoes, discarding (or snacking on if, well, you’re me) the skins.
- Take the whole peeled tomatoes and using your hands, crush them directly into the pan with the onion mixture over medium heat. Add 1 cup of water and season with salt.
- Allow to cook, simmering, for 45 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick and starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add more water. Taste along the way and season as needed.
- Once the sauce is cooked, run it in a food processor to make it smooth and consistent in texture. Add back to the saucepan, and add a splash of olive oil and a few sprigs of torn basil. Wait for pasta.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add spaghetti and cook until al dente, splashing some pasta water into the tomato sauce if needed to loosen it up. Drain and add the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce. Over med-low heat, toss the pasta and the sauce together until it’s fully coated.
- Served topped with a little Parmigiano Reggiano & that's it. The pre-grated stuff dries out, so consider splurging on a whole chunk to keep in your fridge.
