Tomato sauce

A few simple tricks or hints to make the pasta sauce that tastes like Nonna makes it

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic. Do not brown the garlic or it will give off a burnt taste. As it starts to sizzle, add the chopped tomato. If I may do a bit of brand bias, we like Napolina …. it is the least acidic tin of tomato that I know.

Add a pinch of salt and after it has cooked for a few minutes taste the tomato sauce for acidity. The sauce should be verging on sweet rather than tart. If it is too sharp or tart, add a pinch of sugar to the sauce to sweeten it.

Allow to simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes or more as you cook the pasta.

The quantity of tomato in the pan should reduce as it bubbles away and it can begin to look quite thick. This is the perfect as the taste of the tomato will have concentrated, however, it’s important to lengthen the sauce again using the pasta cooking water. This starchy water will add volume to the sauce, it will give a little body due to the starch and will give you a concentrated sauce that is liquid enough to coat all the pasta.