Marthas Basic Red Sauce Recipes

LIDIA'S BASIC MARINARA

Steps:

• Place tomatoes and their juices in a large bowl. Using your hands, crush tomatoes, breaking them up into small pieces; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic slices and cook until sizzling, about 1 1/2 minutes. Push garlic to one side of skillet and add red-pepper flakes; toast for 30 seconds. Stir garlic slices and continue to cook until lightly golden.
• Add tomatoes to skillet and stir to combine. Add hot water to rinse bowl containing tomatoes and add to skillet. Increase heat and stir in salt. Add basil sprigs to sauce, pressing down to completely cover.
• Bring to a boil. Cover, and immediately reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking 5 minutes more. Remove basil from sauce and discard. Let sauce simmer until ready to serve with pasta.

CLASSIC RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Puree the tomatoes to a smooth, creamy consistency in a food processor or with an immersion blender. (If you like a more country feel, you can wait and break them up in the pan later with a wooden spoon.)
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. When hot, add the onion and saute 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until you see the color start changing. If you'd like to make the sauce spicy, add the red pepper flakes.
• Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer about 30 minutes. (If you did not puree the tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to break them into pieces while they cook.) Strive for balance in the consistency of the sauce: It has to be fluid, but it should not look overly wet. Add the basil and remove from the heat. Toss with just-cooked pasta.

RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place 1 cup red wine in a small saucepan; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat; add 2 tablespoons cold cut-up butter, and swirl pan until butter is melted and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Season with coarse salt; serve with Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon.