This post is a gift for my brothers and sister, who just moved into a new house. Today is their housewarming party, and I’m all the way across the country. Since I can’t attend, guys, I’m offering you this housewarming gift. Without Mom in your kitchen, I figure you might be eating more chips and soda, starburst candies, and um… raw potatoes (do you still eat raw potatoes?) than before, at least for a little while.
Here’s a recipe that will give you a break from the junk food. Carlo and I make this all the time and we still can’t believe so few ingredients can taste so good. The secret is in the long simmer, where the tomatoes slowly absorb the butter and the flavour of the onions, cooking down into a thick and rich sauce that’s just perfect on pasta with a generous sprinkling of parmesan on top. It’s amazing that just three things can make a sauce that tastes so good and feels so warm and filling. But there you are.
This simplicity is a good thing to remember, I think. You’re all taking care of yourselves now, and that’s a lot. I still sometimes have these panics where I think “my goodness, for the rest of my life I’m going to have to do this myself.” And there’s no way to take a break from life, it’s just going to keep coming at you. That’s why it’s nice to know that it doesn’t always have to be hard to take care of yourself. Pop this in a pot, boil some pasta, and in 45 minutes, sit down together and eat. You can do it! Happy housewarming! I guess maybe I’m going to have to stop calling you “the kids.”
I’m sorry about the not-so-beautiful photo. Trust me, even though it’s not beautiful, it’s delicious.
We got this recipe from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. We’ve adapted it so that its proportions match a large can of tomatoes (796 mL), but that’s about it. You can reduce the amount of butter in the sauce, which I always do. However, it always tastes best when Carlo makes it (he’s not careful with the butter).
TOMATO SAUCE WITH ONION AND BUTTER
1 can plum tomatoes (28 oz/796 mL, either diced or whole)
1/3 cup butter (you can be a little more generous or a little more sparing with this)
2 medium onions, peeled and cut in half
salt
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. pasta (or whatever amount you happen to throw in the pot)
Parmesan cheese for serving
Put the tomatoes, the butter, the onions, and a generous pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Stir it occasionally, and mash the tomatoes up with your spoon. Cook the sauce for about 45 minutes (it should be at a light simmer this whole time) or until you start to see the butter and tomatoes separating from each other. When it’s done, taste it and add more salt if you need to. Take the pan off the heat and remove the onions. Serve it over pasta, with parmesan cheese on top.
Supper In Stereo 
5 comments
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November 18, 2007 at 5:32 am
Leif
Thanks Hanne and Carlo!!! I think I will try this tomorrow.
Also, Lars and Amy got us an ice cream maker as a gift, so I’m going to try making that lemon frozen yogurt you posted earlier! I’m pretty excited.
November 21, 2007 at 4:16 am
The thinner the crust, the better « Food to nourish the spirit and soothe the soul
[…] pizza has loads of it. And our salads. And our sandwiches. You can make you own tomato sauce like Hanne. Mine came from a jar.. JI always bake my pizza at my oven full whack at 250C to mimic the hearth […]
November 24, 2007 at 9:39 am
Victoria
This recipe is really a revelation, isn’t it? Better than the sum of its parts. It’s like a little miracle in the kitchen. I am able to get Pasta Setaro in NYC at Buonitalia in Chelsea Market, which is the best dried pasta I have ever had. This summer I had such luck using local fresh tomatoes, that I put up a few for winter. But not nearly enough. Next summer I am going to do tons. I usually serve this butter-tomato-onion sauce over a shape similar to mezzi rigatoni (called mezzi millerighe) instead of spagetti. But made with spaghetti and left over, it would probably make a pretty insane frittata, don’t you think? But that would mean you would have to make extra – and then not eat it while you’re cleaning up the kichen. Might be hard to do.
November 25, 2007 at 2:16 pm
hannehanne
Victoria,
That’s so true! I remember the first time we made it, it was only because it was so simple and we were so hungry and tired. We didn’t expect anything much, and were completely blown away. You’re right about using fresh tomatoes, too. When they’re perfect and ripe and in season, there’s nothing like it. I miss tomato season already! You’re smart to preserve them.
And that’s a great idea about the frittata. I’d never even thought of that. Now I can’t wait to make this sauce again– though I might have to double it… it IS hard to stop eating.
August 18, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Elusive D.
I have been making this sauce for years, and I usually use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil, just to make it a little healthier. But man, it is still delicious! In summer I garnish with some fresh basil, and in winter I use it as a base for a bolognese (if I can keep myself from just dunking bread in it and eating it plain.)
Love this website!