Marcos Waller

A Memory That Still Haunts Me

I have a vivid memory that lives in my mind rent-free and still haunts me to this day. It was my first trip with the school. Might’ve been 4th grade. We went for 2 nights to Rosario to play rugby against another school. It is common in rugby to share a far from exquisite meal with your rivals. The ritual is called “third half”. It is usually burgers or pizza, this time it was tomato spaghetti.

I call it tomato and not pomodoro or marinara for a reason. I still have the image engrained into my head of those poor little spaghetti floating around in a reddish liquid environment that refused to stick with them. When I tried to pick some with my fork, they looked up at me, as unsauced as they were born, before they slid back to the mess they called home, only to splash that goo all over my uniform, causing me not only discomfort but the latter recrimination of my mother.

Why Canned or Jarred Sauce Isn’t the Same

If you are one of those people who think opening a tomato puree can equals making a sauce, let me tell you, I am here to help, but not with utterly judging you first.

“But Marcos, I usually buy the jarred sauce that comes already cooked. It tastes the same!” That is the other side of the coin. It is wrong. I don’t care if it says its organic, freshly squeezed, harvested in the fields of the ancient Roman Empire. It is just bad. Anything that comes in a can is rarely as good as what you can freshly make.

I am not re-inventing the wheel here. Health aside -that is not my topic- preservatives, emulsifiers, hydrogenated fats, unholy replacement for spices are just some of the ways to ruin something as simple as a pomodoro sauce. Tuco, Marinara, Filetto, call it what you want, just make a big badge of it and freeze it or, if you are feeling a little reckless, use it right away.

Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe

Prep time: as much as 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of good Roma Tomatoes (if you are going to use canned ones buy San Marzano)
• 1 large onion
• 4 big cloves of garlic
• Fresh Herbs (hopefully basil and oregano, although bay leaves and thyme is also acceptable)
• Olive Oil
• White wine

Preparation

Roughly chop the tomato, the onion, and the garlic. (Size honestly does not matter that much cause we are going to blend it at the end).
Tie your herbs together in a bouquet garni so you can comfortably retrieve them later.

Cooking

1. Sautee your onions with abundant olive oil until they start to brown (do not go crazy on the heat).
2. Add your garlic and your tomato. Salt it generously.
3. Splash a good amount of the white wine and wait for it to evaporate.
4. Add your bouquet garni and half a cup of cold water.
5. Bring it to a boil and turn the heat to low. Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
6. (My grandmother said that a pinch of sugar would help cut the acidity out and even though she was not a cook, she was indeed a grandmother so maybe I would trust her).
7. If you don’t want to use refined sugar cause of a documentary you saw, you can also use a bit of honey, or maybe nothing.
8. Whenever you think is time, blend it all and use it for any preparation you fancy. Or freeze it or just drink it I don’t know that’s completely up to you.

Why You’ll Never Go Back

Believe me, once you’ve done this and tried out the difference for yourself, you are going to want to sue Rao’s.

What Would You Cook With This Base Sauce?