Salsa di Pomodoro

Salsa di pomodoro (basic tomato sauce) is the single most important sauce in Italian cooking—a quick, simple preparation of San Marzano or other quality canned tomatoes cooked briefly with olive oil, garlic (or onion), basil, and salt that, when properly made, transcends its humble ingredients to become a bright, balanced, deeply satisfying sauce that is the mother of dozens of Italian preparations. The essential principle is restraint: good tomato sauce is made by cooking tomatoes as little as possible—just long enough to meld the flavours and thicken slightly, but not so long that the bright, fresh tomato flavour dulls into the heavy, overcooked taste that plagues bad Italian-American red sauce. Marcella Hazan's iconic version uses only canned tomatoes, butter, and a halved onion (removed before serving)—nothing else. The simplest version: olive oil in a pan, a clove of garlic (whole, gently pressed, removed when golden), a can of San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand), salt, and fresh basil leaves—simmered for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened but still bright and fresh-tasting. That's it. The tomatoes must be excellent quality—San Marzano DOP from the Agro Sarzanese-Nocerino in Campania is the gold standard, though other high-quality Italian tinned tomatoes (Mutti, Strianese, Cento) are excellent. The sauce should taste of tomato, not of cooking. It should be bright red, not dark. It should have sweetness from the tomato itself, not from added sugar. When you achieve this, you understand why Italian cooking prizes ingredients over technique.

• Spanish sofrito (tomato-based sauce)
• Mexican salsa roja (cooked tomato sauce)
• Indian tomato-based gravies
• French sauce tomate (tomato mother sauce)