It almost feels sacrilegious sharing this recipe. Since I was a little girl, it’s been the base of the Italian dishes whipped up in my childhood kitchen and whirled into the dining room while Frank Sinatra filled the air. Before my mother introduced it atop our linguine, amid our eggplant parmesan or beneath the quattro formaggi of our pizza, she merely used jarred tomato sauce. But thanks to a Sicilian man by way of East Boston, things would change quite quickly for our household.

Paul is a friend of the family’s, sure, but he’s also family. He knows how to cook, he knows how to drink, and he certainly knows how to wear a bathrobe for 24 hours straight while doing it. He was my nanny when my parents were away, the uncle with the over-the-top gifts during Christmas and birthdays, and a personal chef at all times. Salmon and white wine for breakfast? Why not! Ricotta pie for lunch? Make it happen. A heaping bowl of pasta soaked with homemade tomato sauce, brimming with fresh seafood and topped with freshly grated parmesan for dinner? Well, that’s a given.

This tomato sauce is my childhood. It’s also been the base of meals in my own home for the six years Travis and I have built our lives together.

The best smells ignite memories: like garlic wafting through the air and the sweet scent of bubbling San Marzano tomatoes.

The best feeling is knowing you’ve made something that’s so simple and so good. This tomato sauce is just that. Whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, a bulb of garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and olive oil. One taste and you’ll be hooked.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes

• 1 bulb garlic

• 4 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Place peeled garlic cloves from a whole bulb of garlic into a food processor and chop. I let mine chop for the amount of time suggested on my Ninja, then do about 30 seconds of puree just to make the pieces a bit smaller. However, too minced and they’ll be more of a paste. I happen to like the texture of a small-chop.

Pour both cans of the San Marzano tomatoes into the processor, covering the garlic. Pulse three to five times. You want to achieve a thick sauce with small tomato chunks.

Pour the tomatoes and garlic into a large pot. I rinse out the residue of both the cans and the food processor and dump into the pot to thin it out just a bit.

Add the crushed red pepper and salt. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the heat off, add a 1/4 cup of olive oil, and voila! You’ve made the perfect tomato sauce you’ll ever have.

Product Recommendation:

Ninja Smart Screen Blender and Food Processor

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