Chef Graziella
Agrodolce alla Siciliana
The sweet-sour sauce that proves Sicily is where East meets West, where Arab traders left their mark on Italian cooking. A syrup of vinegar and honey, studded with pine nuts and raisins.
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Sugo al Pomodoro
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Five ingredients. Forty-five minutes. A tomato sauce so pure it proves that restraint is not a limitation but a liberation. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Sauces & Condiments
Italian, Neapolitan
Weeknight
Quick Meal
Budget Friendly
5 min
Active Time
45 min cook•50 min total
Yield4 servings (about 2 cups sauce)
This is not a recipe for tomato sauce. This is the tomato sauce, the one that requires exactly five ingredients and the wisdom to use nothing else.
No garlic. No herbs. No olive oil. Americans want to add things. They think more ingredients mean more flavor. The opposite is true. The butter rounds the acidity of the tomatoes. The onion, halved and simmered whole, gives sweetness and depth without asserting itself. Then you discard it. That is all.
I have known people to skip the pasta entirely and eat this sauce straight from the pot with a spoon. That tells you everything you need to know. When your tomatoes are San Marzano, grown in volcanic soil at the foot of Vesuvius, you do not need to add anything. You need to get out of their way.
Simple does not mean easy. It means every ingredient must earn its place. It means your technique must be sound because there is nowhere to hide mistakes.
For two centuries after Spanish ships brought tomatoes from Peru, Italians treated them as ornamental curiosities, pretty and possibly poisonous. It was the lazzaroni, the street-dwelling poor of 18th-century Naples, who discovered what the nobility missed: these strange fruits, cooked down with nothing but fat and salt, made cheap pasta extraordinary. The tomato's triumph began in Naples, and this sauce remains Neapolitan to its core.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (28 ounces)
unsalted butter
Quantity
5 tablespoons
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
peeled and halved
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, or to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes | 1 can (28 ounces) |
| unsalted butter | 5 tablespoons |
| yellow onionpeeled and halved | 1 medium |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon, or to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide 3-quart saucepan or sauté pan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Food mill (optional, for smooth sauce)
Instructions
- 1
Combine everything
Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a wide saucepan or sauté pan. Use your hands to crush the tomatoes, breaking them into coarse pieces. Add the butter and the onion halves, cut side down. Add the salt. That is all that goes in.
San Marzano tomatoes are not a suggestion. They grow in volcanic soil near Naples and have a sweetness and low acidity that other varieties cannot match. The DOP certification on the can means something. Look for it. - 2
Simmer slowly
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a lazy bubble, with the surface barely trembling. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The butter will melt and emulsify into the tomatoes. The onion will soften and give up its sweetness.
- 3
Check the consistency
The sauce is ready when the fat no longer separates from the tomatoes and the color has deepened to a rich terracotta. It should coat a spoon and fall in thick ribbons. If it seems thin, cook a few minutes longer. If it reduces too much, add a splash of water.
Never cover the sauce while it simmers. A covered pan traps moisture and prevents proper reduction. The water must escape for the flavors to concentrate. - 4
Finish and serve
Remove and discard the onion halves. They have given everything. Taste the sauce and adjust salt if needed. The sauce can be used as is for a rustic texture, or passed through a food mill for smoothness. Toss immediately with hot pasta, using a splash of pasta water to help the sauce cling. Serve promptly.
Chef Tips
- •The butter is not negotiable. Some recipes substitute olive oil, but butter creates a silkiness and rounds the acidity in ways that oil cannot. This is how the sauce was meant to be made.
- •Do not dice the onion. Halving it whole allows you to remove it cleanly after cooking. Diced onion would require straining and changes the character entirely.
- •If you cannot find true San Marzano tomatoes with DOP certification, seek out another high-quality Italian canned tomato. Never use fresh tomatoes unless they are at peak ripeness in summer.
- •This sauce wants spaghetti, linguine, or another long pasta shape. The sauce clings to the strands. Short pasta shapes are not traditional here.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce keeps refrigerated for five days. The flavor deepens overnight.
- •It freezes beautifully for three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently with a splash of water.
- •Make a double batch. You will use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 120g)
Calories
170 calories
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
38 mg
Sodium
520 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
2 g
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