Tomato Sugo (base recipe)

This is an essential one... A basic tomato sauce is the cornerstone of many easy and more complicated dishes. Doing this right will make a huge difference in a lot of ways.

Several years ago our family spent a holiday in Italy (again, of course). This time in Versiglia, the coastal part of Tuscany. We made a trip to Cinque Terre driving to La Spezia and taking the train.

Thank god for the tourist

Finding the right restaurant makes or brakes the trip

Since the Cinque Terre, a couple of beautiful Italian coastal villages, are completely overrun by tourists, we decided after two villages and one ice cream to skip the other villages and focus on lunch in the underrated town of La Spezia.

The mamma cooks high class

I found this beautiful upscale restaurant and was impressed by the open kitchen. The mamma was preparing some fresh pasta with several other cooks doing their part. The kitchen was sparkling clean and the food looked wonderful. So did the wine list, and we could not help to order some wine and some small dishes.

Never share a recipe

First you do the sofritto

I ordered the pasta al aglio, olio e gamberi. What I got was something I have never eaten before. I expected the ordinary spaghetti with a oily, garlicy smell and a few prawns, but I got a revallation. A light, creamy sauce with wonderful spaghetti and I wondered how to do the sauce so flavorful. I asked the waiter to ask the cook and he came back after a few minutes explaining that there is only olive oil, garlic and prawns.

I was confused, so he added: "or course you have to start with the sofritto."

Open sesame

The sofritto is the key to any good sauce, not only to tomato sauce. It is a bit work to prepare, but it elevates a normal sauce to gourmet level.

You make a sofritto by frying minced onions, carrots and celery (sometimes with garlic or herbes) at the very beginning until they turn soft and start to caramelize. This base will give your sauce, actually any sauce, the special something.

Ingredients

750 g of cubed tomatoes (canned)

2 onions (minced)

2 carrots (minced)

2 storks of celery (minced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of oregano

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

200 ml water (fill one can of tomatoes)

Salt, pepper

Preparation

Use a deep pan with a lid.

Heat up the oil and add the onions, carrots and celery. Add a pinch of salt. Fry at medium heat for couple of minutes.

Add oregano and garlic. Add after one minute the tomato paste and fry until everything starts caramelizing.

Add the tomatoes and water. Add salt (enough!) and pepper. Put the lid on and let it cook for at least 30 minutes at low heat .

Taste and add salt of pepper if needed.

Basically, you’re done. I like to mix the sugo with a mixer until the sauce is getting a creamy, even texture.