Friday food

Sometimes I like to keep it simple.

For a pasta sauce, it doesn't come much simpler than this. Canned whole tomatoes. Half an onion. Five tablespoons of butter. Dump them in a pot.

Bring it to a simmer and let it gently bubble for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then--and this is where it started to get weird for me--you take the onion out. That half an onion? Literally, half an onion, in a chunk, not chopped. But at the end, you throw it away.

It makes me sad, throwing onions away. I am very, very fond of onions.

But it's very vibrant, right?

If only it had tasted as vibrant as it looks.

I saw this recipe earlier this week at Smitten Kitten. She notes how many other bloggers have raved and raved about this, and she loved it too. I thought it sounded divine--tomatoes, onion, butter. Really! What more could I possibly want?

Turns out I could want a lot more. Such as: onion left in the sauce, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, oregano...yeah, I could want a lot.

Not that it wasn't good. It was. Sort of. Let's put it this way: Teen 2 loved it. Teen 1 ate about two bites and then opted for cereal. DH and I both finished our plates, but agreed that it wasn't anything special. Sorry, Teen 2--this isn't likely to go into the regular rotation, even if it is super easy.

But I give it to you anyway, because clearly there are a lot of people out there with respectable palates who thought it was the bee's knees.

Do with it as you will.

Comments

[Girl Detective]

My husband made this while I was away last weekend. The boys wouldn't eat it, and he thought it OK. We're both OK with throwing out the onion though, as we like the taste but they give us digestion issues.

Seems like a good emergency sauce, or a base for some protein, or a quick summer supper.

[Jocelyn]

My palate aligns with yours: I want my stuff in there--and LEFT in. Everything else is a wan imitation.

[debra]

I think I'd leave the onion in---after I'd cut it; omit the butter---olive oil instead? Add some basil and/or oregano. Maybe a bit of cayenne. Definitely add garlic. Maybe black olives for color.

[Guinifer]

Huh. I like the onion removal, but I'd receive protests from the peanut gallery.

[rudee]

Here is my super simple sauce for dinner in 30 minutes:

a couple of T olive oil heated in pan, then add
1/2 onion sliced and sauteed until translucent
1 red bell pepper sliced thinly and sauteed with onion
1 large clove garlic macerated with kosher salt and tossed in pan when onions are done
add a few sprigs fresh time and a shake of hot pepper flakes
add 2 large can san marzano tomatoes

cook the pasta

toss together with sauce and top with parmesan (the good stuff)

When the pantry allows, I may add ground veal or pork, but never ground beef.

Give it a shot. It's delicious, cheap, vibrant, fast, but best of all, tasty.

[bezzie]

I'm with Kathy B, butter in spaghetti sauce? No thanks.

1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, 1/2 lb browned snausage, a can o'sliced shrooms, 2 cloves (or more!) minced garlic, oregano and garlic powder to taste. If you're gonna go canned, you gotta go for broke.

[Chris]

Hmm. You need more protein with that one.

[Ann]

I'm with you. That sounds, well, boring! I like some spice in my pasta sauce too.

[kate]

I couldn't have taken the onion out.

I don't mind a plain sauce on stuffed pasta, say with a tortellini, but not on plain pasta.

[Miss T]

Interesting. I just read the same piece, and saved the recipe, thinking it might be worth a try (despite the fact that I was also disturbed by the onion removal). Hmm.

[kristi]

I cannot imagine a sauce without thick chunks of tomatoes (fresh), garlic, garlic, garlic, seasonings, and mushrooms, garlic, peppers, garlic...

[Cheryl S.]

I snagged that recipe when I saw it, but have had mixed feelings about trying it. You haven't helped with my suspicion that it would seem a bit boring. I may try it anyway, but be prepared to add a bit more to it.

[Don]

Simple can sometimes be good. Like, a traditional Italian dish calls for dry-roasting fennel seeds in a hot pan, then tossing them with parmesan into cooked spaghetti with some olive oil. Ridiculously tasty and satisfying. But this here recipe reminds of what my grandmother used to serve us as kids - spaghetti with tomato paste. Yeah. Not so much.

[kathy b]

BUtter goes with everything....I thought...

but butter in spaghetti sauce just sounds awful.

I'll skip trying that one! Glad you reviewed it. :)