Grossy's Marinara
Mama Mia! This recipe is just so near and dear to my heart. I spent my childhood bathing in marinara sauce, sitting at the stove time after time to watch the different ways members of my family made their marinara. I swear you could taste the stories—all the laughter, anger and, most importantly, love that went into the sauce.
From all that watching and learning, I developed my personal version of marinara sauce. It's a simple recipe, and the base for so many of my dishes. In fact, my freezer is never not stocked with frozen containers of my marinara—it helps me sleep at night.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 head garlic (all the cloves), peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 lb. medium sized tomatoes, chopped into quarters
2 28-oz. cans tomato puree
1 5 oz. can tomato paste
A handful fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Sugar, as needed
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
Heat olive oil in your sauce pan on medium heat, then add chopped red onion, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cook until browned. Add 1 cup red wine and 2 tablespoons dried oregano and cook until wine is reduced by about half.
Add chopped fresh tomatoes, cooking until tomatoes are stewed. Then add the 2 28-oz. cans tomato puree and a handful fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces. Stir and let simmer on low while the flavors develop and the scent gets stronger. This can go on for literally hours, but about 20 minutes is your minimum here.
If your sauce is too loose, add tomato paste and incorporate until you achieve your desired thickness.
Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a bit of sugar to taste. This is where you can personalize your flavor a bit. I like my sauce on the sweet side, so I tend to use a bit more sugar. Plus, if your tomatoes aren't naturally sweet, a little sugar takes care of that!
You can make the sauce a few days in advance—the flavor will only get better with time. Keep your pot in the fridge and reheat before serving.
You can also make enough to freeze in containers for later use. Most Italian-American families have an entire freezer full of marinara sauce (it's a fact I saw online once). Frozen sauce lasts up to 6 months, although if you are Bimpy, you can keep them frozen for years. It's really your call!
Here are some great ways to use your Marinara:
LET'S DO THIS ONE STEP AT A TIME:
Heat olive oil in your sauce pan on medium, then add chopped red onion, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes.
2. Cook until browned.
3. Add 1 cup red wine and 2 tablespoons dried oregano.
4. Cook until wine is reduced by about half.
5. Add chopped fresh tomatoes, cooking until tomatoes are stewed.
6. Look at these stewed ladies!!!
7. Add the 2 28-oz. cans tomato puree and a handful fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces. Stir and let simmer on low while the flavors develop and the scent gets stronger. Fun fact: "Marinara Sauce" is my favorite scented candle. Someone let Bath and Body Works know!
This can go on for literally hours, but about 20 minutes is your minimum here.
If your sauce is too loose, add tomato paste and incorporate until you achieve your desired thickness.
8. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a bit of sugar to taste. This is where you can personalize your flavor a bit. I like my sauce on the sweet side, so I tend to use a bit more sugar. Plus, if your tomatoes aren't naturally sweet, a little sugar takes care of that!
You can make the sauce a few days in advance—the flavor will only get better with time. Keep your pot in the fridge and reheat before serving.
Enjoy!