Ode to Marcella Hazan

It was a Saturday night and we were going out to a fundraiser for the local children's theater.  Dinner had to be healthy and quick, and we were going swimming in the afternoon to enjoy the Indian summer weather and get in some activity before the evening's sit.

What to make?  I searched the internet and then found the answer on my bookshelf. I'd ordered extra tomatoes and needed to use them up.  I used Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking to make the sauce - first halving the tomatoes and cooking them for 10 minutes in a saucepan, then running them through the foodmill and back into the saucepan with a chopped onion, two carrots and some celery.

When we got home from the pool, I heated the sauce while I let the water boil for pasta (a combo of white, brown rice and whole wheat spaghetti).  It cooked for about 45 minutes. At minute 30 I poured in a half tablespoon of olive oil and stirred. The original recipe called for 1/3 of a cup, but I wanted a bit of fat to catch the flavor of the dish and help it stick to the noodles.

This photo is a professional version from Food 52. Mine didn't need the butter or the cheese.

photo by James Ransom for Food 52.