Marinara sauce is surely one of the culinary pillars of the home kitchen. Though its origins lie on the shores of Italy, it has naturally developed into a mainstay for most western cuisines.
There is a wonderful tradition followed by our friends Carl and Michael in Sydney, Australia. Carl's family immigrated to Australia from Sicily many decades ago and this time of year, the entire family, kid's and all, descend upon his mother's kitchen in the wee hours of the morning.
The entire day is spent preparing pounds and pounds of fresh tomatoes to be canned with fresh basil, as a foundation for sauces, to last the entire year for the whole family!
Doesn't that sound absolutely fascinating?
I can't wait to do a feature on this wonderful tradition that takes place over the next couple of weeks. So please be on the look out for it!
Traditionally, marinara sauce by definition is made with tomatoes, onions, and herbs. It has a fascinating history originating with the sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the Spaniards introduced the tomato to their neighboring countries.
It was particularly appealing to the cooks on board sailing ships, because the high acid content of the tomatoes resulted in a sauce which would not easily spoil before the advent of modern refrigeration techniques.
Isn't that neat? - that if it weren't for the lack of technology (for a change) Marinara sauce might have never seen the light of day!
I usually make my marinara sauce when I fix my 'melt-in the-mouth' meatballs recipe so the star of my recipe are the pan drippings from the meatballs. (Refer to the post - On the subject of Excellent Meatballs)
However, even when prepared without the pan drippings for a seafood marinara or a Lasagna, it is still wonderful and rich because of the long hours that it is slow cooked in its own juices with fennel and other spices.
We begin by doing a grocery run or raiding the pantry cabinet and pulling out 3 kinds of canned tomatoes - a can crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Next we prepare the ingredients -
Onions - Peel & chop. Set aside
Garlic - Peel, discard skin & chop
Fennel seeds - Crush the fennel seeds in a coffee grinder for just a pulse or two or use a mortar & pestle.
Spices & Seasonings - Gather the seasonings in a bowl, ready to use. Measure out the salt, sugar, dried parsley flakes, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, turmeric and dried basil.
On medium high heat, in a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onions, chopped garlic and fennel seeds. Saute till the onions are soft and just golden brown.
Open canned tomatoes with a can opener and empty contents into the sauteed onions. Add the spices & seasonings. Stir and allow to simmer, bringing the heat down to medium.
If
you are going to prepare Meatballs with Marinara sauce and stored the pan drippings from the baked meatballs, then pour the drippings into the marinara sauce.
The drippings will have some solids so give the sauce a good stir with a whisk to break these down.
Bring the sauce to a good simmer and cover with a tight lid. Lower the flame to very low. Cook the sauce for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Cooks Note- The sauce as it stands is quite chunky which is fine if that's the way you like it but I like my sauce somewhere between chunky and smooth. So, I give it a 30 seconds pulse with an electric hand blender.
At this point it is ready for the slow cooker. Add the meatballs to the slow cooker if you are fixing Meatballs with Marinara sauce. Cook for 3-4 hours on the lowest setting.
I served the Meatballs & Marinara sauce over spaghetti cooked al-dente and a garden salad.
What a fantastic dinner this turned out to be - with loads of freshly grated aged Parmigiana Reggiano cheese on top, fresh crusty bread and a glass of Pinot Noir.
The meatballs were moist, and a flavor explosion with every bite. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the sauce...well it truly was spoon licking good!
Refer to the post - On the subject of Excellent Meatballs to go with this equally excellent Marinara sauce!
Cin Cin!
Recipe for
EXCELLENT MARINARA SAUCE
Serves 4
Shopping
list
1 # 28 oz can crushed Tomatoes
1 # 14.5 oz can diced Tomatoes
1# 8 oz can Tomato sauce
1 cup finely chopped Onions
2 tbs fresh chopped Garlic
1 tsp crushed Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tbs dried Parsley flakes
1 tbs dried Basil
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Meatball pan drippings (if applicable)
Cooking method -
On medium high heat, in a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onions, chopped garlic and fennel seeds. Saute till the onions are soft and just golden brown.
Add all the tomatoes to the sauteed onions. Add the spices, salt, sugar, dried parsley flakes, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, Turmeric and dried Basil. Stir and allow to simmer, bringing the heat down to medium.
Add stored the pan drippings from the baked meatballs (if applicable), give the sauce a good stir with a whisk.
Bring the sauce to a good simmer and cover with a tight lid. Lower the flame to very low.
Cook the sauce for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Cooks Note- If the sauce is too chunky for your liking, give it a 30 seconds whir with an electric hand blender.
Add the meatballs (if applicable) and the marinara sauce to the slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on the lowest setting.Enjoy with spaghetti cooked al dente or incorporate in your favorite recipe.
Do you have a favorite Marinara sauce family recipe or a story you would like to share with us? If so please let us know about it in the comments.We would love to hear from you!
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