Canadian Italian Heritage Month
To celebrate Canadian Italian Heritage Month, I’m sharing Ryan Abigail Maria Benetti O’Flanagan’s secret Sunday Sauce recipe.
Yes, I know, her name is quite a mouthful, but there is a good reason for that, and it’s explained in her book, Decoy In Stilettos.
The hero, Gabe Marchetti, commits the ultimate good son offence and declares that Ryan’s Sunday sauce is better than his mother’s. An FBI (Full Blooded Italian), as he says, “This sauce is fire. Beats my mother’s Sunday sauce.”
I want to be a fly on the wall when Ryan tells Gabe’s mother what he said. Actually, I know how this goes down as I’m working on the sequel, but more on that later.
Now, let’s get to Ryan’s Sunday Sauce Recipe
- 30–40 fresh tomatoes (Roma or plum) washed and cored
- Several containers of ripe cherry tomatoes
- 1 whole head garlic, top trimmed off, peel left intact
- 1/2 carrot, peeled and left whole
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 1 rind of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 stick of butter (4 TBSP)
- Sea salt
- 1 cup fresh basil, washed and chopped
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
Cut the large tomatoes in half and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Add the garlic next to the tomatoes.
Scatter the cherry tomatoes on a separate baking sheets.
Drizzle both trays generously with olive oil and season lightly with sea salt.
Roast the tomatoes until they soften, release their juices, and begin to caramelize around the edges.
The cherry tomatoes should become nearly jammy, and bursting.
Depending on the size and ripeness of your tomatoes, this will take approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
Allow the tomatoes and garlic to cool slightly.
Peel the larger tomatoes. The peel will come very easily, however, keep the cherry tomato peels on.
Transfer the garlic, roasted tomatoes, along with all of their juices, to a Vitamix, blender, food processor, food mill, or large bowl. Blend until smooth or process to your preferred consistency.
Coat a heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil and heat over medium-low heat.
Add the tomato paste and stir constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing it to darken slightly. This will deepen the flavour.
Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the crushed roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
Reduce the heat to low.
Add the carrot, Parmigiano Reggiano rind, and sea salt.
Simmer partially covered for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid and continue simmering on low heat for 3 to 3½ hours. The slow cooking allows the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and cheese rind to meld into a rich, velvety sauce.
Taste after the first hour and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Remove the carrot halfway through cooking. It’s a tasty treat for the cook.
Remove the Parmigiano Reggiano rind. Another tasty treat for the cook.
Add the butter, and stir, until the butter has dissolved into the sauce.
Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, drizzle in 2 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir.
Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature.
Add the chopped fresh basil and stir well.
Optional:
Add red pepper flakes for heat.
Add ¼ to ½ cup dry wine for additional depth.
Freeze in portions for future meals.
The combination of caramelized roasted tomatoes, sweet jammy cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, and a slowly simmered Parmigiano Reggiano rind creates a sauce with remarkable depth, richness, and sweetness, one that people will remember long after the meal is over.
Ryan’s Sunday sauce has held the test of time, as it is two years later and not only does Gabe still enjoy her cooking, but she still has a remarkable talent for finding trouble, and throwing their world into a bit of chaos.
You’ll see exactly what I mean in the sequel I am currently writing.
In the meantime, I found time to pay Ryan and Gabe a visit and they agreed to a short interview.
Author: How are things going with you two?
GABE: What do you think?
RYAN: That’s not an answer.
GABE: Chaos. Obviously.
RYAN: I am not chaos.
GABE: Last month you adopted a witness.
RYAN: She needed help.
GABE: You brought home a three-legged cat.
RYAN: Aww. Tripod. I miss her.
Author: That’s sweet. What’s wrong with that?
GABE: For starters, she’s allergic to cats. Second, her name was Matilda, not Tripod. Third, she already had a home.
RYAN: They kept her in a cage on the porch.
GABE: Which apparently made catnapping morally acceptable.
RYAN: That was one time.
GABE: My point stands.
Author: Should I be concerned?
GABE: Depends on your definition of concerned.
RYAN: We’re happy.
GABE: We’re happy.
Author: Anything else readers should know?
GABE: No.
RYAN: Absolutely not.
Author: That sounds suspicious.
GABE: Ask Rye why the RCMP parked outside her office.
RYAN: They weren’t there because of me.
GABE: That’s not what they said.
RYAN: Details.
GABE: And she wonders why I worry about her.
Author: Sounds like you’re still a bit of a handful, Ryan.
RYAN: Admit it. I’m worth it.
GABE: You’re impossible.
RYAN: Yet here you are.
GABE: Yeah. Here I am.
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