Marinara Sauce from Chef Tony in Sorrento

Chef Tony at Quanto Baso cooking school in Sorrento was fun and informative for our group cooking lesson, arranged in advance.  In general he warned us against using garlic and onions together because they cover each other's tastes (what?!).  He said 'you Americans' use too many ingredients in your red sauce, too much garlic...  And we did notice even before this class that the marinara sauce there was light and very tasty.  

On our Food Walking Tour on our first day in Naples, our tour guide Alex had us try marinara pizza (as well as fried pizza, buffalo mozzarella, gelato, limoncello, sfogliatella and another pastry ...).  He said he knew we wouldn't believe it, but just pizza crust with just marinara is amazing.  And it was!   So it was exciting when chef Tony said we would be making some.  Remarkably, he used canned tomatoes, which helped me believe we could reproduce it at home.  At some of the places we asked, we were told the tomatoes or the onions they used can only be found in Italy, so we were convinced we would not be able to do the same here. 

With Chef Tony, and our 'classmates' from Chile, NY and Australia, we joyfully made and consumed fresh made gnocchi in marinara, delicate dishes of eggplant parmigiana, and tiramisu covered with chocolate chips - chef Tony's favorite.  

So here's the simple marinara that we enjoyed on our first night at home.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp EVOO per person

64 - 70 ounces San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes

1 clove of garlic ("not 6, not 8, but ONE), cut in pieces

2 basil leaves, torn

5 large pinches of salt

DIRECTIONS:

Heat pan on high.  Add oil, garlic and basil.  

Add the tomatoes and crush them inside the pot.

Simmer - that's it! 

Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce

Washington Post 8/21/2019

The recipe said it would take no time - which is usually a lie - but in this case, it was the truth.  I had lots of tomatoes and some onion from our morning at Oasis farm, and we were told we should use them quickly.  I also had some tomatoes in the refrigerator, which we always do, since my husband is a tomato addict.   This time of year, you can get good looking tomatoes at the farmers markets.  Even though most look better than they taste, this recipe makes the most of them.  You can refrigerate the sauce up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 6 months.

So there went all my tomatoes, into the sauce.  There was hardly any liquid in the pot initially, so I thought I'd need to add some, but in no time, it was a mushy mess.  And quite delicious.  I put in all different tomatoes, even though plum tomatoes were recommended.  It was all good.  I didn't remove the skins, which you can do by briefly tossing the tomatoes into boiling water, but that adds more time and effort (and pots) to the process.  This way, it was easy as could be.  Once the tomatoes are cooked,  if you choose, you can press them with the back of a large spoon, and the skins come off easily.

Ingredients:
5 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
12 large fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, or more as needed
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 1/2 pounds plum or Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered

Directions:
1) In a 4 quart saucepan, combine the garlic, basil, onion, salt, pepper, tomato paste and olive oil.  Heat over medium-high heat for 30 seconds.  You should be able to smell the ingredients, but they shouldn't be burning.  Add the tomatoes, breaking ghtem up a bit more with your hands as they go into the pan.  Bring to a lively bubble, uncovered, and cook 30 minutes, or until the same is thick and reduced by half.  Stir often, watching for sticking or scorching.

2) Remove the pan from the heat, and cover.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.

3) If you prefer a smoother texture, pass the sauce through a food mill or process it with a blender, immersion blender or food processor until in small pieces.  Serve warm, with pasta or roasted veggies, or your dish of choice.