Pugliese Tomato Sauce
In Puglia, the sauce is rarely about long, slow reductions. It is about capturing the peak acidity of the harvest and tempering it with the heat of olive oil infused with garlic.
Control the garlic to define the base
Use a heavy-bottomed pan to prevent the garlic from catching, as the sauce will scorch easily if the heat is too high.
- Heavy-bottomed skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Fine-mesh sieve for crushing tomatoes
What goes in.
- 28 ozSan Marzano tomatoes, whole peeled
- 1/3 cupextra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed
- 3 clovesgarlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 bunchfresh basil leaves
- to tastesea salt
The Oil-Tomato Marriage
When the sauce is finished, the olive oil should not be sitting on top as a slick. Whisk the sauce vigorously with the spoon for thirty seconds to emulsify the oil into the tomato juices.
The method.
Infuse the oil
Place the olive oil and smashed garlic in the cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low. Let the garlic turn a pale, toasted straw color—do not let it brown or it will turn bitter.
Add the tomatoes
Crush the tomatoes by hand before adding them to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to break them down further against the side of the pan.
Simmer
Bring the sauce to a gentle bubbling simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and the color has deepened from bright red to a more muted, brick tone.
Finish
Remove the garlic cloves. Tear the basil leaves by hand and stir them in along with a pinch of salt. Emulsify the oil and serve immediately.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Version
Add one small dried peperoncino to the oil at the same time as the garlic.
Vegetable base
Sauté a finely minced stalk of celery and half a white onion before adding the garlic for a more rounded, vegetal sweetness.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Discard the garlic cloves once the oil is fragrant; they have done their work.
If the sauce tastes too acidic, add a tiny pinch of salt rather than sugar; salt tricks the palate into perceiving less acid.
Use a wide pan rather than a deep pot to increase surface area for faster, more even evaporation.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
Only if they are at the absolute peak of summer ripeness. If they are out of season, high-quality tinned tomatoes provide a more consistent result.
Should I blend the sauce?
No. The texture of the hand-crushed tomatoes against the pasta is essential to the character of this dish.
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