Looking for an easy way to add some veggies to an already kid-approved sauce? Try making a simple, yet hardy tomato sauce, which has been a favorite in the Stanley Tucci household for generations. Tucci claims it is in the fine tradition of Tuscan home cooking and that it’s cheap, nutritious and full of tomato!
In the Tuscan episode in the Searching for Italy series, the star of the show, Stanley Tucci, and his parents cook this childhood favorite together. Tucci’s family lived in Italy for a year when he was a teenager and a neighbor, Maria Rosa, taught his mother this sauce. Tucci is now a father of five children, and has passed along the tradition of making this sauce for his family.
You start with a base of so many Italian dishes, the soffitto, which is a mix of chopped onion, carrots and celery in a fat (i.e. olive oil or butter) on a pan. For example, this base could be used for bolognese sauce.
When using canned tomatoes, the secret is to cook the sauce on a the long simmer, until it looses its metallic taste. When shopping for ingredients, try to buy San Marzano variety of tomato, which are very flavorful.
Also look for whole peeled tomatoes. You can have your child help squeeze the tomatoes to break them down rather than buying them puréed or crushed, which are more processed and often contain a preservative. You could also blend the tomato before adding it to the sauce.
Salsa Maria Rosa
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (or vegan butter)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium-sized carrots)
- ½ cup diced celery (about 2 small tender stalks)
- 1 cup diced onions (about 1/2 large onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian, flat-leafed parsley
- 4 cups canned whole plum tomatoes (about one 35-ounce can)
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Directions
- In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter.
- When the butter is foaming, add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and cook them, stirring often, until they have softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the parsley.
- Stir in the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands or with the back of a slotted spoon as you add them to the pan.
- Bring the sauce to a boil.
- Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the tomatoes are sweetened and cooked, about 45 minute.
Variations:
To create a less coarse version of this sauce, puree the tomatoes in a food mill or food processor before proceeding with this recipe. Also, you could add 1 pound of ground beef to the sauce before adding in the tomatoes. Cook until the beef is lightly browned and then proceed with the recipe.