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By Root 356 0

make you feel as though you’ve been temporarily transported to an Italian hillside, even if just for the day. Canned crushed tomatoes work best, but canned diced ones will work, too; they just make a chunkier sauce. This will keep, in a tightly covered jar or container in the refrigerator, for a week. It can also be frozen—just be sure to leave space in the jar or container, as the sauce will expand a bit as it freezes.

This recipe is followed by two variations; one adding vegetables, the other adding meat. For each of these, the yield will be increased to about 6 servings.

This recipe is vegan.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)

1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 good-sized cloves)

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¾ teaspoon salt

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

½ cup water

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

A generous handful or two of chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Place a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, herbs, and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, and black pepper. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes if they are in rather large chunks. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

3. Add the parsley, stir, and serve.

marinara

Makes about 5 cups

This recipe is vegan.

1 medium stalk celery, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)

½ pound mushrooms, finely diced

1 medium zucchini (about 6 inches long), finely diced

2 medium tomatoes, finely diced

¼ cup minced fresh basil

Add the celery, mushrooms, and zucchini to the pan when you add the onion and bell pepper. Add the diced tomatoes when you add the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the basil when you add the parsley.

bolognese

Makes 5 to 6 cups

To make a Bolognese-style meat sauce, cook the meat ahead of time. Here’s what to do.

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ pound ground beef or turkey

1. Place a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.

2. Add the meat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is no longer pink and the outside edges are starting to brown. While it is cooking, use a thin-bladed metal spatula to break up the meat into bite-sized pieces. Then transfer it to a bowl (use a slotted spoon), and set aside. Use paper towels to wipe out any fat left in the pan.

3. Proceed with the recipe for plain or marinara sauce, stirring the cooked meat back into the pot when you add the tomatoes.

spaghetti and meatballs

Serves 4 to 6

Here’s a basic standby you can fall back on for years to come. This is really a recipe for meatballs, which aren’t at all hard to make, and a method for simmering them quickly in store-bought sauce (to keep things simple for now), piling it all onto freshly cooked pasta, topping with cheese and pepper, and sitting down to a perfect meal. Start making the meatballs about an hour before you want to eat, to allow time for shaping and browning them and then simmering them in the sauce while the pasta cooks. Or, even better, make the meatballs and cook them in the sauce a day or two ahead and then reheat them (slowly, over low heat, stirring gently from time to time) while the pasta cooks. The flavors will become deeper this way.

One 24-ounce jar prepared tomato sauce, or about 3 cups

Homemade Italian Tomato Sauce (Chapter 3: Pastas)

Meatballs (recipe follows)

Salt for the pasta water

1 pound spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

Grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Red pepper flakes

A handful or two of chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs in the pot they cooked in. Turn the heat to low, and simmer