Not convinced by the title of this post alone? See for yourself.

A friend told a friend who told me about this sauce. Previously, the closest I had come to homemade had been limited to the following: 1) cautiously overheating and simmering, in succession, tomatoes with their skins on (oops), and 2) opening a plain bottle of store-bought sauce and adding more herbs and spices or meat to it. This is now my favorite sauce that I can make at home, from scratch, to go on spaghetti.

Italian cooking? If I could draw a caricature of how I viewed homemade Italian cooking, it would look like this: an exasperated person with beads of sweat, furrowed brows, furiously stirring a pot over the stove so that the contents wouldn’t turn to charcoal. In contrast, this famous recipe  – with minor adaptation – of Marcella Hazan is actually a cinch.

1 can of San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes (28 oz)

5 tablespoons of butter

1 peeled and halved onion

1 bay leaf

Combine ingredients in a saucepan at medium heat. Simmer for at least 45 minutes. Keep uncovered, and stir regularly, breaking up any large pieces of tomato with a wooden spoon. Remove onion halves at the end of cooking time, and serve over pasta.

And then, you can top it with some fresh basil from your (urban windowsill) garden :). Growing my own food (herbs) and enjoying it makes the meal just THAT much better!

via rooted shoots…

Our window basil and mint plants are doing fabulously. (Thanks Auntie Jane for the shoots from your garden!!!)