Italians don't have the corner on great-tasting tomato sauce, but being Italian does seem to help. Perhaps it's in the genes or perhaps they know that good ingredients carefully prepared in a sauce that is allowed to simmer for hours just can't go wrong. Italian or not, sometimes there is no time for a long-simmering sauce.
Besides the time element disadvantage, there is the hunger element as you smell the wonders of the sauce as its delightful aroma permeates the house. Who has time for all that? A fresh garden sauce can be made in less than a half-hour with just a few garden ingredients.
This easy, tasty sauce requires just four basic ingredients:
- 1 bunch of cherry tomatoes - 1 small yellow onion - 1 clove of garlic - 2-3 TBSP of olive oil
Begin by heating a medium-sized frying pan on medium heat. Drizzle the olive oil in the pan from the center outwards in a spiral. Reduce the heat under the frying pan to medium-low. While the olive oil is heating up, prepare your vegetables.
Put your cherry tomatoes on a cutting board and quarter them. Be careful to save as much of the juice and seeds as you can; these add welcome flavor, nutrients and consistency to the sauce.
Dice up the onion. Now your olive oil should be the right temperature to add the tomatoes and onions. Be sure the pan is not so hot that it burns the onions.
Grab a hold of the largest clove of garlic you can lay your hands on. If you have no garlic, a few sprinkles of garlic powder will suffice, though it really isn't as good as the real thing. If you did find the garlic, put it on the cutting board and give it a good press with the flat side of a knife. Mince the smashed garlic finely and add it to the sauce.
Lots of vegetables can be added along with the basic four if you have any and are a welcome addition to this fresh sauce. Zucchini, squash of all types, olives, bell peppers or even kale all add a wonderful dimension of flavor and texture to the sauce. If you have some really hot peppers on hand, toss them in if you like the heat. Crushed red pepper flakes are also good.
Mix up all the vegetables in the skillet by giving them a good stir. You want a good coating of olive oil on them so they cook correctly. Now put a lid on the skillet. You have arrived at the waiting period. Every couple of minutes, check on the sauce and give it a stir.
The tomatoes will be nicely wilted in just a few minutes as the juice leaks out of them. Ten minutes more and the onions should be translucent and the tomatoes completely shapeless. Please always remember to put the lid back on the pan once you've stirred the sauce. The condensation will keep the tomato juices and any juices from the other vegetables from burning off.
When the onions are tender and the sauce seems to be on the right path, remove the lid. Simmer the sauce on medium a few minutes to heat things up and thicken the parts that are too watery. Nota bene: Don't ever add water to tomato sauce. You want the sauce to reduce in liquidity in order to thicken up.
Boil up your favorite pasta and get ready for dinner! Top it with Parmesan cheese and a side of garlic bread. With this sauce, you could lure in your own Italian! What you've made right there is healthier, tastier, and more Italian than anything you can buy in a jar.
Besides the time element disadvantage, there is the hunger element as you smell the wonders of the sauce as its delightful aroma permeates the house. Who has time for all that? A fresh garden sauce can be made in less than a half-hour with just a few garden ingredients.
This easy, tasty sauce requires just four basic ingredients:
- 1 bunch of cherry tomatoes - 1 small yellow onion - 1 clove of garlic - 2-3 TBSP of olive oil
Begin by heating a medium-sized frying pan on medium heat. Drizzle the olive oil in the pan from the center outwards in a spiral. Reduce the heat under the frying pan to medium-low. While the olive oil is heating up, prepare your vegetables.
Put your cherry tomatoes on a cutting board and quarter them. Be careful to save as much of the juice and seeds as you can; these add welcome flavor, nutrients and consistency to the sauce.
Dice up the onion. Now your olive oil should be the right temperature to add the tomatoes and onions. Be sure the pan is not so hot that it burns the onions.
Grab a hold of the largest clove of garlic you can lay your hands on. If you have no garlic, a few sprinkles of garlic powder will suffice, though it really isn't as good as the real thing. If you did find the garlic, put it on the cutting board and give it a good press with the flat side of a knife. Mince the smashed garlic finely and add it to the sauce.
Lots of vegetables can be added along with the basic four if you have any and are a welcome addition to this fresh sauce. Zucchini, squash of all types, olives, bell peppers or even kale all add a wonderful dimension of flavor and texture to the sauce. If you have some really hot peppers on hand, toss them in if you like the heat. Crushed red pepper flakes are also good.
Mix up all the vegetables in the skillet by giving them a good stir. You want a good coating of olive oil on them so they cook correctly. Now put a lid on the skillet. You have arrived at the waiting period. Every couple of minutes, check on the sauce and give it a stir.
The tomatoes will be nicely wilted in just a few minutes as the juice leaks out of them. Ten minutes more and the onions should be translucent and the tomatoes completely shapeless. Please always remember to put the lid back on the pan once you've stirred the sauce. The condensation will keep the tomato juices and any juices from the other vegetables from burning off.
When the onions are tender and the sauce seems to be on the right path, remove the lid. Simmer the sauce on medium a few minutes to heat things up and thicken the parts that are too watery. Nota bene: Don't ever add water to tomato sauce. You want the sauce to reduce in liquidity in order to thicken up.
Boil up your favorite pasta and get ready for dinner! Top it with Parmesan cheese and a side of garlic bread. With this sauce, you could lure in your own Italian! What you've made right there is healthier, tastier, and more Italian than anything you can buy in a jar.
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