Tomato Sauce "Pomodoro" - Carrabba's Italian Grill

By Thom7747

We love this sauce, a specialty of Mama Mandola's. Not to cast stones, but some people get their tomato sauce sweet by adding sugar. Mama knew to cook the onions until they are golden brown in order to bring out their sweetness the natural way. Pomodoro mean "tomato" in Italian, so we call this "Pomo Sauce" for short in the kitchen to differentiate it from its cousins, Marinara and Amatriciana.

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

Details

Adapted from 3.bp.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Combine the onion and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown and just beginning to caramelize, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Po9ur the tomatoes and their juices into a bowl. Crush the tomatoes between you fingers. Pour the tomatoes and their juices into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often, until the tomato juices have thickened and the sauce has reduced slightly, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the basil over the sauce and cover with the lid. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the basil. (The sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.)

TIP: To avoid bruising the basil, Mama tor the leaves into pieces with her fingers. Chopping is fine, but you won't have basil-scented fingers.