American Marinara Sauce II
Photo: Peter Van den Bossche from Mechelen, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0
This marinara skips the smooth, sweet restaurant style for something chunkier and sharper. Whole tomatoes are crushed by hand, and the dried oregano, thyme and chile flakes are ground in a mortar before they go in, which wakes up their oils. Almond oil joins the olive oil, and a yellow pepper adds mild sweetness. Make it a day ahead and the flavors settle nicely.
Instructions
Warm the olive oil and almond oil together in a very large pan. Add the diced onions, minced garlic and pepper strips, and cook gently until they soften and turn translucent without browning.
Pour in the white wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the hand-crushed whole tomatoes with their juices and the crushed tomatoes.
Grind the dried oregano, thyme and chile flakes together in a mortar and pestle. Stir this mixture into the pan along with the basil that was not set aside for garnish.
Simmer for an hour, or longer if the sauce still seems thin, stirring now and then so it does not catch on the bottom.
Loosen the sauce with more wine until it reaches the thickness you like. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Add cooked al dente pasta to the pan and toss with tongs until every piece is coated.
Serve on plates topped with the reserved fresh basil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Make it personal.
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