Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Perfect Marinara Sauce


I am going to share a little story with you.  I didn't always know how to cook.  No, I'm not talking about when I was a child.  I mean as a young woman, in my early 20's, I did not know how to cook. Sure, I grew up around great food and even better cooks, but no one really taught me how to do it.  So here I was, a newly married woman, unable to feed my husband.  That is when I knew that my mission in life was not to simply learn how to cook, but to be able to cook the kind of food that I grew up on.

My first step in that endeavor was learning how to make the Perfect Marinara Sauce.  It is the base for just about any red sauce you want to make, and it is equally delicious all on it's own. When you think of homemade sauce you instantly imagine hours slaving away in a hot kitchen, but the beauty for the modern day cook is that companies such as Tuttorosso Tomatoes, a cherished 85-year-old tomato brand that's family-owned and family-run, are producing fantastic canned tomato products so that you can make fresh pasta sauces, from scratch, for your family, in no time at all!  So today we are going to "Celebrate the Sauce" with Tuttorosso!  

Let's get started!

  Tuttorosso's Perfect Marinara Sauce:
*Prep Time:  10 min.  *Cook Time:  30 min.  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: 4-6
(Original Recipe Found Here)

Ingredients:  




  • 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 (6 oz.) can of Tuttorosso Tomato Paste
  • 1  (35 oz.) can of Tuttorosso Peeled Plum Italian Style Tomatoes
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 5 whole Basil Leaves 
  • Salt and Pepper to taste.
Even though I have called this Tuttorosso's Perfect Marinara, I will confess that I altered it a little to fit my family's tastes.  But that is the beauty of cooking from scratch.  You have this blank canvas to create on.  

To begin you will place your sauce pot or deep skillet over medium/high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil.  



While you are waiting for the oil to heat up, you can go ahead and dice your onion.
This is one of the ingredients that I added to this recipe.  I personally like the flavor the onion brings to this sauce.


Once the oil is hot you can add the onion to the pan.
Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes until they become soft and translucent.


Next you will add the garlic.
Only cook the garlic long enough to smell is coming from the pan.


The next ingredient is the Tuttorosso Tomato Paste.
Adding the tomato paste is going to give your sauce that lovely rich and robust flavor you crave in the perfect marinara.


The original recipe calls for 1 tbsp., but WHOOPS!  I added the entire can.
No worries, it tasted WONDERFUL!


Now it is time to add the Tuttorosso peeled plum tomatoes to the pot.


Once you have added them, take the back of your wooden spoon and break them apart.
I have to warn you though, they MAY squirt at you so be careful.
Feel free to crush them by hand in a bowl if you like.


When you have them all broke apart it will look a little something like this.


Now it is time to add a little sugar.
Adding sugar to your sauce helps to cut the natural acidity that tomatoes can sometimes have.
How sweet you make your sauce is entirely up to you and your taste buds.
The original recipe called for 1/4 tsp. of sugar, I used 3 tbsp. because I love a sweet sauce.


Now you will want to season your sauce with a little salt and...


Pepper.
I would add this a pinch at a time.
Remember, you can always add.  You can't take away.


When you are happy with the seasoning, add the whole basil leaves and give it a stir.


Bring it to a simmer.


Cover, and let it cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.


While I was waiting for the sauce to cook, I chopped up a little fresh basil into little ribbons for garnish.


And brought a pot of water to a boil for my pasta.
Once at a rolling boil I added the pasta and cooked it according to the directions on the box.
Oh, and don't forge to salt the water.


When the pasta was perfectly al dente, I added it to my sauce.


When you have added all of the pasta to the sauce, give it a toss until all of the noodles are coated, add the basil, and a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese.


And there you have it!
With the help of Tuttorosso Tomato products, you have the perfect marinara sauce, made from scratch, and on the table in 30 minutes!


Look at that!  It's the perfect bite!
This sauce is so good you may never buy the jarred stuff again!
Oh!  And did I mention that Tuttorosso is also doing a great giveaway over on their Facebook Page where they are giving away 3000 adorable aprons, daily drawings for wooden spoons like the one I used in this post, and a grand prize of a Martha Stewart Cookware set!  So head on over there, like the page, sign up, and tell them The Kitchen Wife Sent you!

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,
~The Kitchen Wife~

 Tuttorosso's Perfect Marinara Sauce:

*Prep Time:  10 min.  *Cook Time:  30 min.  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: 4-6
(Original Recipe Found Here)

Ingredients:  
  • 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 (6 oz.) can of Tuttorosso Tomato Paste
  • 1 (35 oz.) can of Tuttorosso Peeled Plum Italian Style Tomatoes
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 5 whole Basil Leaves 
  • Salt and Pepper to taste.
Directions:
  1. Heat oil in skillet.  Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
  2. Add the peeled plum tomatoes with natural basil flavor, sugar and basil.  Stir to combine and then add salt and black pepper and bring to a boil.
  3. Simmer sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally until thickened and reduced, about 30 minutes.  Taste and season again with salt and black pepper if needed.  
  4. Serve over your favorite pasta.  Top with fresh torn basil leaves and grated fresh Parmesan cheese.

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