I have found that it’s really easy to make delicious authentic marinara, or what some Italian americans call “gravy”. I found a recipe in Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual. It’s a great recipe book for Italian cuisine by the way.
This is the tomato sauce they make in their restaurant and it is both brilliantly simple and very versatile. We use it for spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parm, pizza and more.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup olive oil (use a good one)
- a whole peeled garlic, (13 whole cloves)
- 1 96 oz can of Italian tomatoes (or 4 28 oz cans)
- A large pinch of pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons of Sea Salt (have more on hand for taste)
It’s a 4 step process.
- Combine the olive oil and the garlic in a big sauce pot over medium -low heat till the garlic develops brown streaks. It’s important NOT to burn the garlic or your sauce will be bitter. Keep an eye on this and reduce the heat it you think the garlic is going too dark too fast.
- As the garlic is cooking, deal with the tomatoes. Pour them all into a large bowl and remove the stems from each tomato, then crush them with your hands. Discard the stems and any basil leaves that are present.
- When the garlic is just about done, add the red pepper flakes and let them roast for no more than a minute so that their flavor infuses into the garlic. Then add the tomatoes, and the salt. Give it a good stir, then turn the heat up so that it comes to a gentle simmer. Allow it to simmer for 4 hours, mothering it a little bit.
- Check the sauce for salt at the end. You can use the sauce for meat at that point and it can store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for a few months if needed.
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