I Like Everything Sweet

Like most things in my life, they seem to taste better when they’re sweet. The contrast in taste and texture for food is one of the most rewarding experiences about eating. Like nuts on a salad of smooth bibb lettuce or a sprinkle of fleur de sel on a sweet caramel candy, Most sweet foods contain salt and most savory foods (that are seasoned with salt) and balanced with a little bit of sugar.

So yesterday, I was antsy. What’s new? When you’re hung over, you’re supposed to milk-it, stay in bed, watch movies, and “veg.” The only thing “veg” about me is what I cook. Suffice to say in full morning after mode, unlike my friends who were watching marathons of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” or Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” I made tomato sauce.

The great thing about tomato sauce that most people don’t realize is that it’s so easy to make. Granted, it’s easy to buy too, but often times those sauces are laden with extra sugar, salt, and artificial ingredients. Sorry Prego, you don’t make the cut. And most artisanal sauces can cost you up to $10 a jar.

This is what you need:

• A can of tomatoes, whole, chopped, crushed, whatever you like. Whole peeled San Marzano are my personal favorites.
• garlic cloves
• olive oil
• red pepper flakes
• nutmeg (optional)
• tomato paste
• mushrooms (optional)
• salt
• black pepper
• onion
• any other spices you might like to include, maybe oregano, basil, bay leaf, whatever you like and have on hand
• and … SUGAR, don’t get too excited, it’s just a pinch worth

Home Made Tomato Sauce

Heat olive oil in a large deep sauce pot and add an onion that you’ve thinly sliced and mushrooms if you’re using them. Allow the onions and mushroom to “sweat” on very low heat for about ten minutes. After the vegetables have wilted down add garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the can of tomatoes and mash with a wooden spook or potato masher. Stir in tomato paste until you get desired consistency. Allow the mixture come to a boil and add a sprinkling of nutmeg, salt and pepper, other spices you might care to use. Lower the temperature and simmer the mixture for about an hour.

Taste and adjust as you see fit.

Now, there are no quantities listed above, you’re going to have to TRUST YOURSELF and follow your taste buds. Here’s the kicker. When you add the spices, add a pinch or two of sugar. Yes, sugar. This will counteract all the savory increments of the dish and enhance them. It also helps bring out the flavor of the tomatoes.

Cover pasta with it, use it on pizza, or simple eat it. I do!