Sunday Sauce: A Five Ingredient Love Story | The Spice Girl Blog
I don't use the harsh "L-word" often. But, I love this sauce, and there are so many reasons to love it. The name "Sunday Sauce" tells tales of big afternoon lunches on Sundays, and whispers of the company involved. The complex flavor despite simple ingredients, the tangible reward of five hours of love's labor, and the versatility of this sauce (talk about setting the rest of the week up for success: weeknight dinners' foundation, done!) have me making this sauce at least once a week. Did I mention it only has five ingredients including salt? There are no shortcuts of adding sugar after 30 minutes, but with that, you are rewarded with a much deeper sweetness from stewed tomatoes that added sugar will not give you.
So, put on your favorite love songs and break out the sauce pot. Let the romance begin.
Sunday Sauce
Serves 4
1 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cans Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes
25 Cloves Garlic, Peeled
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper
1. Heat 1 cup olive oil over low-medium heat in a sauce pot, and place 25 cloves peeled garlic in the sauce pot.
Feel free to adjust amount of garlic to suite your preference.
FYI I was making this recipe for myself, so you'll notice less garlic and less oil
2. Slowly cook the garlic, stirring occasionally, until aromatic and a deep golden color. Do not let it burn or turn brown.
This takes a good 20 minutes or more -- don't take shortcuts. It ensures the garlic is almost caramelized (don't burn) and that flavor is infused into the oil.
3. Add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon salt to oil. Stir.
Let this infuse for 1 minute.
4. Crush by hand 4 cans worth of peeled San Marzano tomatoes in a bowl, removing stems as you go.
5. Add crushed tomatoes to garlic and oil mixture.
6. Set heat to medium until simmering. Adjust heat accordingly to maintain a gentle simmer.
7. Stir occasionally until sauce is reduced by half (usually after 4 hours).
8. Add salt to taste if necessary.
9. Fall in love!
The sunday sauce can be loved in many different ways (and on different days), so stay turned for more recipes involving this sauce! (Braciole say whaaaa?!)
I made a short video to test out new editing software. It is of steps 1-4 and could be helpful if the descriptions above need some additional explanation. Enjoy!