Roma Tomato Marinara Sauce

Fresh Roma Tomato Marinara Sauce


This marinara sauce is really good.  It has a nice flavor from the fresh tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar and the fresh basil makes it even better.  Use the best balsamic vinegar and olive oil you can afford and don't cut corners and use dried basil.  Don't use regular tomatoes, Roma tomatoes are more robust and work better for this sauce.  To peel them, cut an "X" just through the skin on the end opposite the stem, drop the tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds and then scoop the tomatoes out individually and put them in ice water.  The skins will peel right off.  If you just can't bring yourself to peel the tomatoes, you can use a 28 oz can of peeled whole Roma tomatoes.  It's not as good but still makes a great sauce.  Just drain the canned tomatoes, remove as many seeds as possible, and roughly chop them.  Lastly you can substitute bacon for the pancetta and Worcestershire sauce for the balsamic vinegar.  It will be more smoky but still delicious.

2 oz
 pancetta, diced into ¼" pieces  (you can use bacon if you want a smokier sauce, but trim most of the fat from the bacon
½ cup
 onion, finely diced
4 cloves
 garlic, finely diced
1 tbl
 olive oil
2 lbs
 		fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
½ cup
 red wine
1 tsp
 balsamic vinegar
½ tsp
 salt
½ tsp
 freshly ground black pepper
½ cup
 basil, cut into a chiffonade

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Add the pancetta, onion, and garlic, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the pancetta starts to brown and onion is tender.  Stir in tomatoes, wine, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened,  Remove from the heat, Stir in the basil, and serve.

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