Spaghetti With Cooked Tomato Sauce

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Serves

4

Introduction

The sauce for this spaghetti is our favorite recipe for a basic, very adaptable tomato sauce. Make the sauce ahead, if you like; double the recipe and freeze in smaller quantities; or cut the recipe in half and have a smaller quantity that will serve four for dinner. We use this tomato sauce in our recipe for lasagna and it also works well as a sauce for tortellini, ravioli, or just about any pasta. We always have some in our freezers at home for an easy, last-minute dinner.

Ingredients

	3	cups Cooked Tomato Sauce
	1	lb. good-quality dried spaghetti
	~	Salt, for cooking pasta
	~	Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cooked Tomato Sauce

	¼	cup olive oil
	1	large yellow onion (about 12 ounces), peeled and diced
	3	large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
	2	carrots, diced
	2	ribs celery, tops removed and diced
	2	(28 oz.) cans Italian-style peeled tomatoes, drained, reserving liquid, and chopped
	1	bay leaf
	2	tsp. dried oregano
	2	tsp. dried basil
	1	tsp. salt
	1	tsp. granulated sugar
	½	tsp. freshly ground black pepper
	⅓	cup minced fresh parsley

Steps

1. Prepare tomato sauce and keep warm. Cook spaghetti as directed in Understanding and Cooking Fresh and Dried Pasta. After draining, divide among individual warm plates or place all in a pasta bowl. Top with sauce and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Cooked Tomato Sauce

1. In a 4-quart non-aluminum saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to pan. Cook and stir until vegetables are well coated with oil. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, reserved liquid, bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt, sugar, and pepper. Stir to combine and let sauce simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 30 minutes. Add minced parsley and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat. If you like a chunky sauce, then the sauce is ready to serve. Otherwise, use a food processor or blender and purée the sauce in batches. Return to the pan and keep warm while you cook the pasta. Makes about 7 cups.

Notes

• If fresh herbs are available, use them. Substitute 2 tablespoons freshly minced basil and 2 tablespoons freshly minced oregano for the dried basil and oregano. Add the fresh herbs with the parsley for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• When tomatoes are at their best in late summer, substitute 4 pounds fresh tomatoes for the canned in the recipe. Peel, seed, and chop the tomatoes (see notes in Tabbouleh ), reserving as much of the juice as possible.
• Allow about 1/4 pound uncooked spaghetti and 3/4 cup cooked tomato sauce per person.
• This sauce is so versatile it can also be used with fish. Buy fresh halibut steaks or red snapper fillets, place in a shallow baking dish, then spoon enough tomato sauce over the fish to cover. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until the fish flakes when tested with a fork, about 25 minutes.

Tomato Sauce with Meat

• As a variation to the basic Tomato Sauce, sauté 3/4 pound of ground beef or bulk Italian sausage, drain off the fat, then add to the sauce for a meat tomato sauce. Make meatballs using a combination of ground beef and ground pork, adding a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brown and cook separately, then add to the sauce.

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