Tradition
It is probably no exaggeration that when I was born I was born with a shiny silver gravy ladle in my hand and my family's precious sauce recipe already imprinted into my being. Every Italian family has their own way of making sauce that has been passed down from generation to generation from the days when tomatoes and grapes were both happily smooshed and smashed with the worn feet of our many ancestors.
I myself have many types of sauce that I love to make, because I truly enjoy perfecting myself all the time, but they all start out the same way and I would love to share one of my favorites with you: Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. It is super easy, an impressive quick fix, sweet flavored, and wonderful upon whole wheat pasta or a good spinach ravioli.
ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE
5-6 cloves of garlic minced ( I love mine garlicky)
3 whole roasted red peppers pureed in a food processor (or minced)
1 white onion finely chopped
1 carrot minced
1 pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon of dried parsley flakes (2 Tbs fresh)
1/2 Tablespoon of dried basil (1 Tbs fresh)
1-15 ounce can of Red Pack Tomato Sauce
1-15 ounce can of Hunt's Tomato Puree
2 pinches of sugar (it relieves the sauce of some acidity)
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
In a large sauce pot pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high and let it heat up for about a minute. Throw in your finely chopped onion, minced carrot, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, red pepper flakes and let cook until just about translucent/softened (3 minutes). Add minced garlic, minced roasted red pepper, parsley and basil and let cook down (2 minutes). Finally, pour in tomato sauce and tomato puree and stir letting everything incorporate. Give it a pinch of sugar, stir and reduce heat to a simmer (medium-low). Let it simmer for about an hour stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Right before serving,
sprinkle in 2 tablespoon of grated Parmesan and mix until melted in.
A good garlic knot and some blush wine go well with this sauce! Please enjoy!