The Simplest and Silkiest Salsa di Pomodoro

Prepare to scrap every other tomato sauce recipe you've ever made.  This is the one.  It's simple, flavorful, velvety-smooth, and strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  It's perfect simply tossed with spaghetti, but also delicious as a pizza sauce or a dipping sauce for Stromboli.  (Look for a post on Stromboli later this weekend!)  What's nice about this sauce is that it doesn't take forever to make, you can simmer it for 20-30 minutes and get delicious results.  Get ready to kiss that jar of Prego goodbye!

Salsa di Pomodoro

(Makes enough for 1 pound of pasta)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium or 1/2 a large onion, finely chopped (or processed in a food processor)

4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste

1 28 ounce can Italian tomatoes, pureed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup good parmesan cheese, grated, or 1 large piece of parmesan cheese rind

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.  Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onion.  Season with a generous sprinkling of salt.  Saute until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and saute until the garlic is just fragrant, about a minute or two.  Add the tomato paste and saute until the tomato paste begins to melt into the onions and garlic.  Add the pureed tomatoes.  If using a parmesan cheese rind, toss it in now and give the sauce a stir.

Reduce heat to medium and allow the sauce to simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once the sauce has reduced by about one third, turn off the heat and stir in the basil.  (Remove the parmesan rind first, if using.)  Next, stir in the butter and parmesan cheese (if using), and add salt, to taste.  Toss with pasta and enjoy!

Bellissimo!