The secret to any tomato-based pasta dish is the marinara sauce. In typical Italian fashion, making it is an art….. simple, quality ingredients blended together in perfect harmony and cooked for just the right amount of time to optimize the flavour of the sauce.

You can easily make this one at home or pick up a jar ready to go at Mercato Sociale in Downtown Oakville.

Combine the sauce with gnocchi or pasta from your local grocery store, or pick up fresh pasta also made daily at Mercato Sociale.

INGREDIENTS:
(makes enough sauce for 6 servings)

100 ml extra virgin olive oil
2.5 kg San Marzano canned whole tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, peeled but not crushed
150 g salt
1 small white onion
1 generous bunch of basil

(For 6 servings, this sauce requires approx 900 g of pasta.)

METHOD:

Chop the onions small, and add them plus the olive oil and the whole cloves of garlic to a saucepan. Cook gently until the onions are brown and tender.
Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, then add the salt and the basil leaves. Basil should be added as whole leaves not chopped or shredded.
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then remove the whole cloves of garlic, and use an immersion blender to blend the sauce to your desired consistency.
Serve with your favourite gnocchi or pasta.