I’ve seen this recipe printed in various places for many years, but have yet to try it. This weekend, that’s going to change. I was reminded of it this week on the blog Food52.
From Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”
Serves 6, enough to sauce 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described below 5 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half Salt to taste
Preparation:
Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing with pasta. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Making Fresh Tomatoes Ready for Sauce:
The freezing method (from David Tanis, via The Kitchen): Freeze tomatoes on a baking sheet until hard. Thaw again, either on the counter or under running water. Skin them and cut them into coarse pieces.
The food mill method: Wash the tomatoes in cold water, cut them lengthwise in half, and put them in a covered saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Set a food mill fitted with the disk with the largest holes over a bowl. Transfer the tomatoes with any of their juices to the mill and puree.