Mother’s Day, 2011

May 5th, 2011

Mother’s Day, 2011

classic tomato sauce and a very personal
recipe from a chef to her daughters:
living women eat pasta, crêpes, and bread

The inspiration for this week’s “simple pleasure” is Mother’s Day and my own two daughters. The recipe is not a brunch recipe but a “mother” sauce: classic tomato sauce. Tomato sauce is one of the five foundational sauces in French cuisine from which several “daughter” or “small” sauces are created. It is the perfect companion for pasta, bread, meat, calamari, vegetables (i.e., eggplant, mushrooms and squash), and even eggs. The sauce is simple to make any time of year.  It is one of my daughters’ favorite sauces and, in general, a crowd pleaser. The recipe is in a companion post for your printing convenience. The inspiration for the post is explained below.

Je vous souhaite un bon appétit and a very Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers.

LM Read the rest of this entry »

classic tomato sauce

May 5th, 2011

classic tomato sauce

stats:

makes 6 cups

what you need:

2  28 ounce cans of San Marzano plum tomatoes with juice
(or in the summer 4 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes from your garden)
olive oil (as needed)

1/2 cup diced pancetta (or ground veal)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 sachet (1 bay leaf, Italian parsley, 5 peppercorns)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or as needed)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or as needed)

for your pasta

fresh egg pasta (as needed)
fresh basil chiffonnade (optional)
freshly grated aged Parmesan cheese (optional)
crushed and dried Pepperoncino flakes (optional)

how to:

  • Prepare Tomatoes.  Place tomatoes in a food mill fit with a fine disc.  Set aside.  Discard seeds and skins.
  • Render Fat. In a stockpot or large saucepan over a medium-high flame, add pancetta and cook until fat is rendered.  Drain off excess fat. If you eliminate the pancetta, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan.
  • Sweat Aromatics. Add garlic. Once fragrant, add the onions, carrots and celery.  Cook until tender.
  • Simmer. Add the tomatoes and juice that were passed through the vegetable mill.  Add olive oil, salt and sachet.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer until it reduces to the consistency you want (about an hour).  However, do not over-reduce
  • Purée.  Remove sachet and discard.  Use a blender or immersion blender to purée sauce.
  • Adjust Seasoning. Taste.  Add salt and/or freshly ground black pepper as needed.