YEARS ago, I saw TV domestic goddess Nigella Lawson say to use sugar in all tomato dishes to balance out the acidity. It’s definitely NOT traditional to use sugar in a tomato Napoli sauce. But as far as I’m concerned, what Nigella says goes, and what happens in Vegas …
I had a conversation with an Italian friend about this. You guessed it, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. She also uses a teaspoon of sugar with her tomatoes. Because, she says, the quality of tomatoes is not what it used to be (nor what it was in Italy). This was from someone whose family, until recently, made its own passata.
Each region of Italy has its own way of making passata (tomato puree), and the boiling process normally takes out the acidity, leaving sweet tomato puree (if the quality’s good). This passata is then used to make sugo (adding in onion, garlic and herbs. The sugo becomes the base in which to cook meats eg mince for a meaty sauce.
Napoli (or napoletana) sauce is made with fresh (peeled) or tinned tomato, onion, garlic and basil. It is meatless. Some places (looking at you, US) call these tomato sauces – and not the tomato sauces with seafood in them – marinara (!?).
My Italian friend confirmed that yes “marinara” is a seafood sauce cooked in a tomato base.
Anyway, the point is unless the original tomatoes are insanely incredible, Napoli, and possibly sugo, will need a little Vegas magic.
I make a little bolognese over here.
“You like potayto and I like potahto
“Let’s call the whole thing off”. George & ira gershwin (1937)
You like tomayto and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, tomayto, tomahto …”
What Happens in Vegas Tomato (Napoli) Sauce
Ingredients
- 2x 400g tins tomato (I used to use only 1 tin but I now use 2 because of the number of tomatoes per tin, also I prefer cherry tomatoes)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 garlic clove, minced
- ⅔ cup white wine (also not traditional). Hack: pour the wine into the tomato tins first and swirl to ensure you capture any remaining tomato juice
- ½ tbsp brown sugar
- herbs, basil is traditional, but parsley works too. I like a small handful
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Gently fry the onion in olive oil until soft without colouring.
- Add garlic and stir till fragrant.
- Add in the tomatoes, white wine and brown sugar.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Taste, and if you think it needs it, you can add in some more sugar.
- Stir in herbs and season to taste.
- Use with pasta or as a pizza topping.
Keto Queen Recipes says
great post – thanks !!
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