Sugo di Pomodoro

Mum's Sicilian tomato sauce

When I was five years old, my mum’s sugo di pomodoro was the first Sicilian recipe she taught me. This sugo is my “go-to” recipe that I use as a base for many Sicilian dishes, such as the sugo for pasta, a delicious pizza margherita, baked fish, for cooking meatballs in and the list goes on. I love to use the Mutti ‘Polpa’ finely chopped tomatoes. They are so sweet and taste incredible.

I make quite a big batch and freeze it in portions for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

This makes a batch big enough to serve eight to ten Sicilians for a meal.

Ingredients

1/4 cup | 60mL extra virgin olive oil 

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large handful of fresh basil leaves, gently torn

4 x 400g tins crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Method

1.     Pour the extra virgin olive oil in a heavy based medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent

2.     Add the garlic and basil and gently stir for 1 minute to allow the flavours to combine. Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn as it will be become bitter

3.     Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and cracked pepper and cook the sugo on a medium heat until simmering. Reduce the heat to low to simmer for 45 minutes

4.     Whilst the sugo is simmering, place a lid over the saucepan and allow a little of the steam to escape. Stir the sugo occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. If it burns, the ‘burnt flavour’ will permeate through the whole batch and render it useless! Taste the sugo as you go along. At the 30-minute mark, check for seasoning. If you feel it needs more salt, add a little bit more to your liking. The sugo is ready when it doesn’t taste like raw tomatoes, feels good in your mouth, and the sweetness of the tomatoes makes your taste buds sing!