Simple is Hard

Simple is hard, but rewarding. Pasta with red sauce is a good example. There are a million ways to do it. Some taking hours and some taking minutes. I am firmly in the ‘simple’ camp. Three or four ingredients. The problem with Camp Simple is if any of the components aren’t prime (or over power the others), the dish falls apart. I shoot for freshness and balance. My red sauce starts with sliced garlic in olive oil. Add minced red onion and a pinch of dried oregano. Cook briefly, then add a generous amount of a good quality pureed tomatoes. I use San Marzano. The trick is to not to over cook the tomatoes to have them taste as fresh as possible. Cooking it down tends to mute the flavor. Add your pasta to the sauce, cook a little longer to incorporate the flavor into the pasta, shaved Parmesan and Bob’s your uncle.