What defines this sauce?
Allow your senses to guide you, this is what you’re aiming for:
The sauce has a rich red colour with a slick of orange oil on the surface. In texture it holds its shape when lifting up a spoonful. The smell is deep tomato with a fleeting impression of basil. In flavour there’s umami combined with a sweetness that takes the edge off any acidity. And it sounds sticky when eaten with spaghetti.
How to get there
The key take-homes to achieve this are:
For sweetness: chop the onions fine and cook slowly in a generous quantity of olive oil.
For rich red colour: pass the cooked sauce through a mouli, never blend it.
1. Cook the onions low and slow (one hour)
The aim is onions that are pulpy and soft, while remaining on the paler side of golden. They add sweetness while disappearing into the greater whole. Chop finely and evenly to ensure each little piece cooks at the same rate and add salt at the start to help them break down.
To make enough to feed four or 1.25 litres of sauce, add to a large, heavy-bottomed pot: one cup (250ml) extra-virgin olive oil, three large onions, finely and evenly chopped and one teaspoon (5ml) sea salt.
Heat over medium heat until there are sizzling sounds. Stir well and lower the heat somewhere between medium and medium-low so the onions are at a happy bubble once the lid is on. Replace the lid and sweat the onions.
After 20 minutes the onions will be one amalgamated mass (with a semblance of crunch) and the olive oil will have separated out. It should have retained heat while covered and be bubbling energetically.
Remove the lid and keep cooking and stirring periodically for another 45 minutes until the onions are softened and golden. During the last 30 minutes the onions may start sticking to the bottom. Watch closely.
It may sound like a lot of oil, but making sure the onions are completely submerged is like caramelising with training wheels. It’s an extra safety mechanism to make sure they cook more evenly and don’t catch on the bottom of the pot as easily.
2. Simmer with tomatoes (one hour)
Stir well and add 800g canned tomatoes (one large tin) and five black olives. Fill the tin with a little water, swirl around to collect any residual tomato and tip into the pot. Simmer on a low heat until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens – about an hour. Stir regularly so it doesn’t ‘catch’ (burn). If it gets too thick, add a little water.
3. Add basil and mouli
Add a sprig of basil and pass through a mouli twice for a smooth sauce. Taste and, if necessary, season again with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
