Lemon Thyme and Ginger

Tomato Sauce With Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar á la Marcella Hazan

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Recipe

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary RecipeDuring this frenetic and festive holiday season, it is helpful to have a well-stocked pantry to quickly feed the family without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. If you have a can of plum tomatoes, garlic and olive oil you can cook up a tomato sauce in 15 minutes. If you have fresh or dried rosemary and balsamic vinegar, that 15-minute tomato sauce elevates into a herby infused wonderland. There is no need to call for pizza delivery, tomato and balsamic vinegar sauce mixed in with steaming bowl of penne pasta is quick, easy to make, and will warm you up on these brisk fall nights.

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary recipe

 

Tomato and balsamic vinegar sauce is a throwback and staple recipe of mine. I used to make it a lot during the early years of my marriage for my growing family. Some recipes are timeless and will never feel out-of-place no matter how many years have passed. Tomato and balsamic vinegar sauce is such a recipe. It is a special classic.

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary recipe

 

I discovered it in a cookbook of mine, Marcella’s Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan dating back to 1986. Marcella Hazan is one of my cookbook authors who I attribute to teaching me about real Italian cooking. While I read and cooked through her cookbooks, I learned how simple, but not simplistic, Italian cooking is. Using only a few key ingredients and traditional techniques, it is easy to create a fresh tasting, delicious and satisfying meal. Of course there are those traditional meals that take hours to make, but most of the food I relied on, could be prepared in 30 – 40 minutes. Many of Marcella’s pasta recipes became family favorites that over time would develop into our own.

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic and Rosemary Recipe

This recipe first caught my attention because of the added balsamic vinegar and rosemary was unlike any tomato sauce I had before. From this recipe I learned about adding vinegar to a sauce or stew to brighten up the flavor of the food. Up until that time I had only used vinegar for salad dressing. I loved the additional body and bright flavor the vinegar brought out in stews and sauces, and I continue to season with vinegar in several of my other recipes.

At first I thought the rosemary would overwhelm the tomatoes, but I immediately discovered it did not overwhelm and was very much at home with the tomatoes. Using rosemary in tomato sauce is an easy way to switch things up a bit from same old same old to, “… Oh yummm, what is that I am tasting?”  The rosemary has a warmer and earthy flavor compared to the traditional herbs of oregano and basil. I am not saying there is anything wrong about using oregano and basil in tomato sauce, just that it is nice to have variety.

Tomato Sauce With Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Recipe

Way back then, I always assumed making tomato sauce required a 5 gallon pot of tomatoes and a day long simmer on the stove. This recipe for tomato sauce with balsamic vinegar takes less time to cook than it does to cook a pound of pasta. At first I needed some convincing that the instructions were not misleading and tomatoes would taste cooked without the metallic aftertaste from the can. It took me a couple repeat performances to be persuaded  that tomato and balsamic vinegar sauce was perfectly cooked in 15 minutes with no aftertaste. Oh joy, I was so thankful, cooking a pasta dinner became a lot simpler and faster.

Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Recipe

At first glance it might seem this recipe uses a lot of olive oil. Trust me, don’t skimp on it. The olive oil is the foundation for the sauce to shine. As the olive oil cooks with the tomatoes, garlic and rosemary, it becomes infused with all the flavors and turns a golden red color. When the sauce gets stirred into warm pasta, the infused olive oil coats the pasta and becomes silky and rich with flavor. This recipe is not a thick saucy sauce, but one with scattered chunks of sweet, herby and garlicky tomatoes and infused olive oil. A tomato sauce that will beg you to lick your plate. You can do what Joe does at the end of this meal, sprinkle a little grated cheese over the sauce remnants and wipe your plate clean with crusty bread.

“One could spend a lifetime finding new tomato sauces to make and still have ideas left over for a reincarnation or two.”                                                                                             Marcella Hazan                                                                                                                                    Marcella’s Italian Kitchen, 1986

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Tomato Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Recipe

Penne with Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar Sauce á la Marcella Hazan

Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar Sauce with Penne is a delicious and easy meal that can be prepared within the time it takes to cook the pasta. Rosemary and balsamic vinegar are the special ingredients, creating a light sauce with chunky tomatoes and garlic/rosemary infused olive oil. The splash of balsamic vinegar at the end brightens up the tomato-garlic-rosemary infusion creating a very elegant delicious sauce. It is one of my favorite pasta sauces and meals from Marcella Hazan's, Marcella's Italian Cookbook

 You can make this for a light and quick supper served with a tossed green salad, or add cooked sausage, fried crispy prosciutto, or as a side to grilled chicken. If you do add the sausage cook it separately so you do not add additional fat in sauce. Then slice the sausage to your desired size and mix in with the sauce when it is all cooked. Serve tomato sauce with balsamic vinegar and penne immediately and garnish with grated Romano or Parmesan Reggiano cheese.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Ginger

Ingredients

  • 1 lb box of dried penne pasta
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 - 4 garlic cloves sliced very thin (green germ removed)
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 4-6 inches long) or 2 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary chopped
  • 2 cups canned Italian peeled plum tomatoes (1 lb 12 oz, 794 g, can of plum tomatoes)
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tea balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  1. Fill a large sauce pot with water and place on the stove at high heat. Bring the water to boil.
  2. Meanwhile, place a skillet or sauté pan on the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil, sliced garlic, and fresh minced rosemary to the pan, (if using dried rosemary don't add it yet.) Gently cook the herbs until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the tomatoes to the pan, squishing the tomatoes into smaller sized chunks, or use a knife to cut the tomatoes up. If using dried rosemary add it after you have added the tomatoes. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a little of freshly ground pepper. Cook the tomato sauce, stirring occasionally, at a gentle simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Turn off heat
  4. When the water comes to boil add 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and the pasta to the pot. Cook the pasta according the directions on the back of the box. You will need to stir the pasta frequently while it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Cook the pasta to al dente and drain the water. Return the pasta to the pot.
  5. Just before the pasta is finished cooking, turn the heat on under the tomato sauce to medium and gently heat it up. After you have added the cooked pasta back into its pot, add the warmed tomato sauce and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Mix together until everything is evenly combined and the pasta is nicely coated with the tomato sauce.
  6. Serve immediately with grated Romano or Parmesan Reggiano cheese.

Recipe Notes

If you are cooking a 1/2 pound of pasta use the same amount of sauce instead of decreasing the recipe in half. You will enjoy the extra sauce coating the pasta and it will not be too much.

Added Inspiration:

Not a pasta fan this sauce is delicious served over polenta.

Make a pasta frittata with the leftovers. Pasta frittatas are outstanding using pasta coated in a tomato sauce. In a small bowl mix together 6-8 eggs with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Put a 10 inch skillet on the burner and turn to medium high. Add 2 Tb olive oil and 2 cloves of minced garlic and heat up. Add 2 cups leftover pasta with sauce. Heat up the pasta till it is good and hot, even crusty in parts.  Follow the rest of the cooking instructions with this basic recipe, and continue as directed.

What to do with any leftover fresh rosemary?

Marinate chicken in olive oil, crushed garlic, rosemary, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice, then cook in the oven or grill.

Make this Grilled Flank Steak

Make an apple galette: Use this galette recipe as a foundation and substitute 3 cups of sliced and peeled apples (about 5 -6 apples) for the nectarines and blueberries. Substitute the dried apricots with 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or omit them altogether.  Add 1/2 tea of minced fresh rosemary, (do not use dried rosemary here) and follow the galette recipe instructions. Glaze the cooked apple galette with warmed apricot jam while the galette is right out of the oven and still hot.

Enjoy!

© 2016 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

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