Sugo di Pomodoro
The house tomato sauce
Basic Italian tomato sauce: canned San Marzano-style tomatoes simmered with garlic, olive oil and basil into a clean, bright sugo.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4 cups
Ingredients
- 2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch basil
- Salt and a pinch of sugar if needed
Instructions
- 01
Crush by hand. Crush the tomatoes in a bowl with your hands. A blender aerates them and turns them orange.
- 02
Infuse the oil. Warm the garlic in olive oil until it perfumes, without browning.
- 03
Simmer. Add tomatoes and salt and simmer 20–25 minutes until the oil separates at the edges.
- 04
Basil last. Stir in basil off the heat and pull the garlic out if you like it mild.
Larry’s rule: If it tastes sharp, it needs more time, not more sugar. Give it another ten minutes first.