Marcella Hazan's Famous Tomato Sauce
This recipe is by Marcella Hazan, an Italian cookbook writer who is widely acknowledged to have introduced Americans and Brits to traditional Italian cooking. It is a three ingredient tomato sauce and is, arguably, her most famous recipe. Her recipes are written like stories and I, in turn, read her cookbooks as if they were novels. Hazan tells us that food is important, quality is non-negotiable and that cooking for others is an unparalleled way of bringing people together. Like Julia Child, Marcella Hazan didn't start cooking until she was married, when she moved to America from a small village in Italy. She taught herself to cook from a few cookbooks and memories of dishes she ate back home. I think part of what makes people like Marcella Hazan and Julia Child such timeless teachers is how much effort and care they, themselves, put into learning and why. These women found that cooking filled some of the gaps that life leaves behind.
The first thing I was taught to make was salad dressing, somewhere around age four. My dad taught me that the golden ratio of olive oil to vinegar is about 3:1 and my mom taught me how to crush the garlic with a mortar and pestle. I then went on to to learn how to make scrambled eggs and pancakes; my mother teaching me to wait for the bubbles to pop before flipping them. I grew up surrounded by people who loved to cook: my mother, father, grandmother (Lola), my Aunt Madeline, and most noteworthy: my great grandmother, Bama. She taught me how to make pie crust, among greater life lessons, and I spent my childhood summers, sick days, and weekends in her kitchen watching her cook. She always let me help; was always ready to teach me. By the time I reached my teens, most of what I knew about cooking was from watching. My first attempts at my favorite meals were shaky; the food was always just almost right and I tended leave an unprecedented mess in my wake. I found better ways in time. What I learned though, wasn't just technique, it was the parts of cooking that aren't cooking. I often remember coming home from school to find my dad making tacos while singing along to Sam Cooke, or my mother dancing to The Beatles while the pasta water boiled, Bama listened to NPR while she cooked breakfast every morning, and Madeline sipped on white wine while she stirred a broth. I learned that cooking was a time you were meant to enjoy.
The first time I had this tomato sauce I was on Vashon Island at my friend Nicholas's house. His family home is painted a soft yellow and sits behind a sharp turn off the main highway of the small island. The house boasts, arguably, the best kitchen I've ever been in. It's sunlit and spacious, it doubles as the dining room and is so inviting it becomes the main living space as well. I spent many hours in that kitchen last year, escaping Seattle and catching the ferry over for dinner. Nicholas and I both love to cook and would make dinner together for his family, using it as an excuse to try new recipes. Most memorably we made this tomato sauce that requires only three ingredients: tomatoes, an onion, and butter (and salt, but that doesn't count). Needless to say, it was wonderful, and a sauce I have made over and over again. It is an incredibly simple dish; a true classic that shows off the best in each ingredient. The sauce always begs an equally rich evening. Something about it just feels special. That's what food should do; make ordinary nights feel like a big deal.
For this tomato sauce, I would absolutely have to recommend using fresh tomatoes in place of canned. It takes little effort and makes a world of difference. You end up with a sauce that is brighter, sweeter, and purer of flavor. However, in a pinch, canned will work just fine. A method for blanching and peeling your own tomatoes follows the recipe for the sauce.
In the original recipe you are meant only to the cut the onion in half and then discard it after cooking. I find it's wonderful to keep the onion and serve a little with each plate so I cut it into quarters to make this easier. It goes beautifully, in my opinion, with a slightly bigger pasta - I used gigli- its also lovely with fusili. If all you have is spaghetti, don't worry, you really can't go wrong. Regardless of pasta choice, it's great, as is anything, topped with freshly grated or shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and even a little cracked black pepper.
Marcella Hazan's Famous Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Total time: 55 minutes, active time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
6-8 blanched and peeled tomatoes- preferably Roma or another meaty variety, nothing too watery
1 onion quartered
5 tablespoons of butter (I always use salted, the original calls for unsalted)
A pinch of salt to taste
Method:
Place the tomatoes, onion, butter, and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat and break up the tomatoes with wooden spoon. Once it has reached a steady simmer turn down the heat to medium low and let simmer for 45 minutes. Serve over pasta with parmesan.
Blanching Tomatoes
My grandmother, Lola, often blanches, peels, and freezes her vast harvest of homegrown tomatoes at the end of the summer season. She'll often go a step further and puree them and put them through a sieve. I do not find that necessary in this case because, for one, I'll do almost anything to avoid getting the blender out, and second, I honestly like the chunkier consistency, especially in this sauce, which is so about the simplicity and beauty of the tomatoes.
Method:
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Drop tomatoes into the boiling water.
After 1-2 minutes remove tomatoes and put immediately into an ice bath.
The skin will begin to separate and will need just a little coaxing to fully remove. It is easier if the skin splits while in the boiling water. If needed, put any that are too difficult to peel back in the boiling water for a minute or so and try again.
Use immediately or freeze for up to one year.
