PDI's Quick Tomato Sauce


A recipe from Pete DiIorio.

Love the (Loudis Ragu) recipe, but boy, what a pain in the butt! It's such an involved project! Besides,, Friday night is a time to gather with friends and celebrate the start of the weekend. An alternative is my dad's "quick sauce", which can be made fresh any time a yen for pasta overtakes you (extra sauce can be frozen if desired). This yields a sauce which is probably a bit more acidic than the Loudis recipe, but I rather like it. It consists of the following:


For a pound of macaroni (feeds an average family of 5, all children pre-adolescent) you will need:

  1&1/2 can crushed tomatoes (I'll leave it to you to pick your 
    favorite manufacturer, in addition, puree can be used or mixed in as 
    desired.)

  3 medium cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife,

  1 tablespoon basil (approximately,...dried is fine, though chopped fresh,
    basil picked from your herb garden outside your door is better),
  
  a Pinch of oregano (see fresh vs. dried above),

  1 teaspoon of parsley (see fresh vs. dried above), and,

  Olive oil to cover sauce by about 1/16 to 1/8 inch in 2 quart sauce pot.

Now for the cooking process:

- Start boiling water for pasta. The more water, the better.

- Add tomatoes to (steel) sauce pot, apply medium to high heat, add garlic and herbs while stirring.,

- Add Olive oil to the sauce, and stir it enough so the oil is evenly mixed with the rest of the ingredients.

- Place pasta in boiling water; cook only till pasta is al dente - unless you like porridge.

- Continue heating sauce until it starts to bubble, then turn down to simmer. Drain water from pasta, and place in bowl. Add sauce immediately and mix.

-Serve in bowl with grated cheese to taste (I think Romano is best).

Total time to prepare: about 20 minutes.

Ciao,
pdi

( Editor's note: I pointed out to Mr. DiIorio that his receipe did not contain onions; he said that a small amount of sauteed onions, are a tasty addition to the sauce, but that the onion's preparation nearly doubles the preparation time of the sauce. - MJL )



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