Nonna's Secret: The Authentic Classic Tomato Sauce (Salsa di Pomodoro)

We are always so excited when it is time to post another recipe from Roberto Pisano. This recipe is a staple for any Italian kitchen. Roberto uses his skills as a cook to recreate the authentic classic tomato sauce he remembers from his childhood. (If you are in the Seattle area you can take one of Roberto's cooking classes, or follow him on Facebook for inspiration.)

Perhaps nothing is more iconic of Southern Italian cooking than a classic Tomato Sauce, or Salsa di Pomodoro.  Ask any 5 Italian grandmothers how to make the classic Tomato Sauce and you’ll likely get 7 answers. I remember walking up the back entry steps of my grandmother’s three-floor walk-up whenever visiting her in her top floor flat.  Regardless of the day of the week the deeply comforting aroma of Tomato Sauce was seemingly imbedded in the back hallway walls (the other tenants were also from Italy). About once a month I channel my inner Nonna by preparing my Homemade Tomato Sauce from scratch.  It’s a simple procedure with just a few ingredients - - a  bit of diced Sweet Onion (in place of sugar), a pinch of salt, some Basil from my garden, San Marzano Tomatoes from Campania (either canned or in Passata form) and a few fresh “market tomatoes” are the only ingredients - - that, and a slow simmer to bring out the flavors! Oh, and be sure to use a stainless steel or enameled cast iron pot so the acidity of the tomatoes does not interact with the metal in the cooking vessel. It’s also handy, if not critical, to have a good food mill for separating the skins and seeds from your fresh tomatoes and to help create a smooth and silky texture to the end result. (When asked by a student “what do I do if I don’t have a food mill”? - -  I replied “you get one”)! 

The final step is letting the sauce rest overnight in the fridge so the flavors can develop and meld together. Then, it's ready for use, or to put in 5 or 6 containers to go in the freezer ready for use on their own or as a foundation for any number of future recipes. And this is by any measure one of the original health foods.

You may ask if this version is exactly as my grandmother made it, to which I’d respond “well, maybe . . . not sure because she never wrote anything down and as a grandson of tender years I seldomly watched every step she took in the kitchen; I just knew how it tasted, how it smelled. And I can say that it tastes and smells exactly as she made hers, as do the lingering aromas that fill my home with her memory. 

And now, lets get to work on the Classic Authentic Tomato Sauce:

Of course any recipe can only be as good as the quality of your ingredients.  This is especially true in Italian cooking which typically relies on very few ingredients of the highest possible quality. My sauce is made using either imported whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano variety, or bottled Italian Passata, or a combination of the two.  Passata, by the way, is simply uncooked strained tomatoes devoid of skins and seeds - - essentially a puree; but avoid using any domestic brand as these are generally pre-cooked and may even have unwanted additives. I like to start the cooking process with a combination of locally available fresh tomatoes. Using a variety of tomatoes helps to develop a more complex flavor profile that really sings “tomato”!  I look for over-ripened tomatoes at the market, which most people would bypass, because these have a lot of developed natural sugars and are perfect for sauces.  And regardless of the time of year the smaller varieties, Cherry, Grape and Cocktail Tomatoes, known as Pomodorini in Italy, are almost always reliably sweet year-round.  I don’t use Garlic or any Herbs at all as here we are making a pure and simple Tomato Sauce, not a Marinara. This will be a lovely sauce on its own or to be used as a foundation for other recipes.

Ingredienti:  OK, now that we have our tomatoes selected all we need is some high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a sweet Onion such as Walla Walla or Vidalia, some Sea or Kosher Salt, a Carrot, a small handful of Basil Leaves and a little Butter (yes, butter - - stay with me here).

We start with an onion for the natural sweetness it brings to the sauce whereas the use of granulated sugar results in a cloyingly sweet, artificial flavor and is best avoided.  Try to use a variety known for its sweetness but in a pinch any “yellow variety” will be a good choice. Peel off the outer paper layers, and cut into small dices. (The knives are from the Fontani Knife Collection of hand crafted kitchen knives on Artful Italia.)

Add the chopped onion to a sauté pan and cook over medium-low heat in Olive Oil and a pat or two of Butter until softened but not browned.  We want them translucent, not caramelized. The butter will help take the edge off any sharp flavor the onion may have while they release their natural sugars. A pinch of salt at this point will help the Onions break down and release their juices and sugar compounds.

Meanwhile prep your whole tomatoes, cutting them into small pieces and adding them to the pan with the cooked onions.  Cook these down until the skins are loosely separated from the pulp, about twenty minutes or so. (The Fontani Paring knife is the ultimate knife for cutting the tomatoes.)

Working in batches if necessary, add the softened mixture of Tomatoes and Onions to a food mill and commence turning the crank . . .

This ingenious device separates the skins and seeds from the pulp of the tomatoes as well as removing the solid bits of onion.  All that remains in the cooking pot below is the lightly sweetened strained tomatoes.

To our cooking pot we now add 2 or 3 jars of passata or canned tomatoes, or a combination of the two.  If using canned tomatoes be sure to run them through the food mill as well to achieve a nice consistency throughout.  Avoid using an immersion blender here as this introduces a lot of air and may change the color of the sauce to a unpleasant lighter shade.  Finally, add one shaved whole carrot to the pot and cook at a gentle simmer for about 2 1/2 hours.  The Carrot further helps to sweeten the sauce by releasing its natural sugars during the long simmering process. And because carrots are naturally alkaline they help to balance the acidity of the tomatoes without adding the flat, one-dimensional sweetness of granulated sugar.

When the sauce is done cooking remove the carrot and fold in a few pats of butter off heat. This helps to create a soft and velvety  texture. This is also the time to add some fresh torn Basil Leaves.

E Voila! - - your sauce is now ready for use but I like to rest mine overnight to let the flavors meld; it’s surprising how much more flavor development takes place with an overnight rest.  It freezes well, too, so be sure to set aside a number of jarred servings of your creation in the freezer.

Our Tomato Sauce is now in its pure, elemental form . . . perfect on its own over a simple bowl of pasta like this Busiati con Sugo di Pomodoro, or as a foundation for more derived recipes such as Pasta alla Puttanesca, Ragu alla Napoletana, Seafood Marinara or Eggplant Parmigiana to name but a few.  As an example, in my next entry I’ll post my recipe for Linguine con Gamberi alla Marinara, or Shrimp alla Marinara, using this Classic Tomato Sauce as a foundation.

~ Enjoy, friends of Artful Italia . . . and buon appetito!

~ Roberto Pisano