We love the purist methods of cooking, a.k.a. the less-is-more strategy to ingredients. Marcella Hazan is credited with bringing this approach from Italy to us. Her Tomato Sauce with Onions and Butter is internet famous for a reason. It pairs well with everything from spicy meatballs to simple strands of spaghetti, and the taste is beyond memorable.
This 3 ingredient sauce (yes, three!) includes a bright onion, sweet San Marzano tomatoes, and good quality butter. She suggests removing the onion after cooking, but as Food52 says, “It’s a pretty excellent cooks treat.”, and we wholeheartedly agree. We also add more tomatoes than the original recipe.
That’s the beauty of a truly pure recipe – if you start with the finest ingredients you can’t fail.
Simple Spaghetti with Tomato, Onion, and Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh, ripe plum tomatoes, cut up
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium onion, peeled and cut in half (we slice them because we prefer to keep them in the sauce)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Put prepared fresh tomatoes in a large saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt. Cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until thickened to your liking, and the fat floats free from the tomatoes.
- Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Taste and correct for salt. Before tossing with salt, you may remove the onion (we leave it in). Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano.
Making Fresh Tomatoes Ready for Sauce
- Plunge fresh, ripe plum tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less. Drain them, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them, and cut them into course pieces.
