Pummarola
pummarola
I don';t know why i didn;t think of this. It's exceptionally good.
You don;t need to fry anything for this sauce, and if (and only if) you can get really good fresh ingredients, it is amazingly good. Just add parmigiano and it will be good protein, and no added oils.
fresh really good red tomatoes
A stalk of celery
a carrot
An onion
some garlic
Cut up the tomatoes roughly (even just in half) so the juices can run.
Throw in a pot (heavy bottom is better, so it won;t burn as easily)
add the rest of the ingredients just cut roughly (one inch pieces are fine)
Put on the fire and let it cook till the vegetables are just soft.
Using an immersion blender (or letting it cool a little, use a regular blender; or use a food mill with the crank) blend the sauce but not to a smooth velvet, just roughly, so there are no more big pieces of vegetable and it;s evenly ground up.
Cook pasta al dente (real pasta, i hope).
Drain and immediately add a couple of handfuls of grated parmigiano.
Mix so it starts to melt, and add the sauce. Mix well. Serve with some fresh basil strewn on top.
This is very traditional in the summer, and is the way i make sauce when the tomatoes are too good to cover up with too many seasonings. Their flavor is enhanced by the mild non-fried vegetables.
Do0n;t add any stronger herb than the basil, and you can do without that too, because this is a delicate flavor based on fresh ingredients at the peak of the season.
For me, it is improved by a blop of butter added to the sauce at the end, after it;s finished cooking, but then, what isn;t? But it's also good without it, and the parmigiano, treated this way (directly on the hot pasta BEFORE adding the sauce) kinds of makes up for it, it gets creamy.)
