Classic Pomodoro Sauce
Ah, the most classic pasta sauce of them all: pomodoro. Could there BE a more iconic sauce?!
Did you know that tomatoes weren’t introduced to Italy before the mid-1500s? Yep, those bad boys came from Latin America via the Spanish. And before spaghetti al pomodoro reached iconic status, there were fabulous tales of how the humble tomato was once used as a love remedy. Which explains how the word pomodoro can be traced back to the French pomme d’amour. Go figure.
While there are infinite variations on Italy’s much loved sauce, one thing that rings true in all (and what I feel is the key to making an excellent pomodoro sauce) is to use good quality ingredients, especially tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes that grow in the Campania region in Southern Italy are often noted as the best variety to use, if you can procure them. They’re sweet with low acidity and thus perfect for creating this classic sauce. If you are lucky enough to be able to buy these fresh, please do, but from my research settling on canned, whole San Marzanos is still appropriate and widely accepted.
I chose to go with the method where the tomatoes are allowed to gently cook down over the course of ~40 minutes, naturally breaking down into a homogenous sauce. Although noting here that some like to use a ricer to break the sauce down evenly.
Classic Pomodoro Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
4-5 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, whole and lightly smashed
A couple of sprigs of fresh basil, leaves removed, stalks reserved
2x 400g cans whole and peeled San Marzano tomatoes
Salt to taste
Method
Heat the olive oil and throw in the garlic cloves and the basil stalks (because why waste them?) - gently allow them to infuse the oil.
Once fragrant, remove both the garlic and basil stalks and discard, then add the San Marzano tomatoes - being careful as they’ll splutter aggressively once they make contact with the hot oil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cover partially.
When the tomatoes have fallen in on themselves (about 40 minutes), cook your pasta until very al dente. While that’s cooking, season the sauce to taste with salt. If your tomatoes are tart, you can also add a sprinkle of sugar to help balance.
Add whole basil leaves to the sauce and let both their scent and flavour gently perfume the tomatoes.
Add your al dente pasta to the sauce and let it continue to cook until just perfect. Stir and toss for the perfect marriage between sauce and pasta. And that’s it.
