Tonight I was planning to write about how I almost stole a necklace this weekend. (Whoops.)
And then I was browsing through my Google Reader and stopped to read Smitten Kitchen, one of my top three favorite blogs of all time (the others being The Happiness Project and Cold Antler Farm) and Deb, the Smitten Kitchen lady, had a recipe for this ridiculously simple tomato sauce, and I hadn't had dinner yet, so I thought, hey, I can whip that up, and OH MY GOD.
Three ingredients. One of them from a can. A CAN! And I didn't even use the RIGHT can! The recipe called for San Marzano whole canned tomatoes, but I just had some random diced and smoked can tomatoes, and OH MY GOD.
Four ingredients if you count salt. Five with pepper. Do salt and pepper count? Or are they just kind of like the water you boil pasta in? You know you've gotta have it, but is it really an ingredient? I don't know. I just know OH MY GOD.
All you do is put the tomatoes in a sauce pan, and plop in half an onion-- and I mean HALF AN ONION, all in one piece. There's not even any chopping involved. It's INSANE. And some butter. Okay, kind of a lot of butter.
And as the tomatoes cook, they break up (with a little help from the bamboo flat-edged spoon-ish thing I got for Christmas), and soak in the most brilliant flavor from the onion. And then the butter goes in, and OH MY GOD.
Seriously. It's dinner party good.
And as for the necklace, no worries. My accidental heist was averted, and I escaped unscathed.
Now go check out Smitten Kitchen and make some tomato sauce!
I don't even like red sauce and it sounds yummy to me. I think it must be your way with words ... well done getting me to try a tomato based sauce.
Posted by: Elizabeth Harper | 01/19/2010 at 02:14 AM
In the summer try this with heirloom tomatoes. Fantastic!
Posted by: Chris | 01/19/2010 at 06:48 AM
I love Smitten Kitchen too!
Posted by: Stephanie | 01/20/2010 at 09:59 AM
After you make your own sauce, you can never go back to the mass-produced jar stuff!
Sometimes you can add flavor with fresh basil, or change up the base red sauce with tuna or with red bell peppers, my personal fave.
Posted by: oilandgarlic | 01/20/2010 at 10:28 AM
I'm trying this tonight - just bought the tomatoes and butter. Ever since I saw it on Smitten Kitchen, I've wanted to try! Cold raining night, warm tomatoes and pasta, yum!
Posted by: Karen | 01/20/2010 at 03:28 PM
Perfect! I predict that youll LOVE it!
Posted by: sarahfain | 01/20/2010 at 03:32 PM
I emailed this to my son Sarah and he sent his wife out last night to get the tomatoes. She's making it this evening. Can't wait to hear how it was.
Posted by: Chris | 01/20/2010 at 03:32 PM
Ooo! I hope they like it!
Posted by: sarahfain | 01/20/2010 at 03:37 PM