Getting Saucy. by violet

As I have mentioned before, there are a few food Web sites that have never let me down. So when Smitten Kitchen featured a recipe that had received raves from Organette as well, I thought, duh, Valentine’s Day dinner.

Since J. and I started dated (three years ago!) we’ve always made dinner at home for Valentine’s Day. Rather than fighting the maddening crowd we take on creations we normally don’t have time to. Last year it was the honeycomb cannelloni.

Beyond the trusted recommendations for this sauce, two other things made it perfect for Valentine’s Day. One, J. loves all things pasta. Forget meat and potatoes - this guy is pasta and tomatoes. Second, there are four ingredients to the sauce. I love recipes like that – makes the shopping list so much easier. Plus, the simplicity highlights great ingredients.

Seriously, that's all you need

• 2 cups whole, peeled, canned plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices (about one 28-oz. can)
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
• Salt, to taste

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, and the onion halves in a medium saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a very slow but steady simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and salt as needed. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.

Simmering away

I wasn’t really sure what “until droplets of fat float free from the tomato” meant, so I just simmered for 45 minutes and called it done.

The pasta

J. ate a whole plate but said that it wasn’t his favorite tomato sauce. It was too buttery and he prefers it a little more traditional.

Finished product

I loved the sauce. I thought it was rich and complex. I loved not worrying about everything coming together at once. Butter and tomatoes, pretty much a guarantee to be good.  I'd make it again. 

My Valentine