Readingground Blogazine

I know tomato sauce is simple and everyone has their own family recipe so no one ever needs a new version. Or so you thought. Well, or so I thought until the May issue of Gourmet [link to http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/05/tomatosauce] (yes, I am sad, I love Gourmet and I will miss it) had me singing a different tune. I needed a sauce for some meatballs a few weeks back—if you’re good maybe I’ll post that recipe soon—and I didn’t have the time for my usual sauce. I made a few alterations to the recipe as Gourmet printed it and voila, I had a new favorite. Seriously, I have made it at least three times since then, it’s just so tasty. One important note, it sounds garlicky but really the sauce is nice and sweet, cooking the whole thing for the hour really takes the bite out of the garlic.

Garlicky Tomato Sauce

1 (28-ounce) can of San Marzano whole tomatoes in juice (not in purée; preferably San Marzano), chopped
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and halved lengthwise and any green sprouts from center discarded
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
pinch of fennel seeds
hand full of fresh basil, chopped

Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, fennel, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.