Laura's Famous Sauce
Artist & Jersey-girl Laura Petrovich-Cheney returns with a recipe for tomatoes
I currently reside in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with my partner, dog, and cat, but I spent most of my life in New Jersey. As a Jersey girl, I firmly believe that Italian food from New Jersey is the best—second only to Italy itself.
One of my fondest memories is taking a cooking class with my father in my early 20s. It was a special experience we shared, and to this day, I carry that love for cooking with me. I also know firsthand how incredible Jersey tomatoes can be, and I always recommend making sauce with a mix of them—all kinds, every kind. You can even roast tomatoes and add them to the sauce for a richer flavor. If you must use canned tomatoes, San Marzano imports from Italy are the next best option.
So, here is my famous sauce, which I learned to make back in 1992 with my father. In late August or early September, I always make and can it for winter storage.
Tomato Sauce
½ cup of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup of fresh parsley, chopped
3 (or more) cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4-5 cups of fresh-roasted tomatoes or 1 can (32 oz) peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 leaves of fresh basil or ½ tsp of dried
Salt to taste
¼ cup of white wine—trust me, it’s even better than with red!
Instructions
Heat oil in a medium saucepan.
Sauté onion, fresh basil, parsley, and garlic.
Add wine to the sauce when onions become transparent and soft.
Add tomatoes, salt, and dried basil, if you’re using it instead of fresh.
Simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the texture feels right.
Enjoy!
P.S. Be sure to check out Laura’s piece, “Reclaiming Fragment by Joyful Fragment,” for a taste of her work.
FED is a participant-supported publication and community. We rely on you and the power of your generosity to create community and sustain this project for all.
Free subscriptions are a gift to every subscriber from readers like you and from the contributors, editors and producers of FED, who collaborate each season to cook up the feast.
Paid subscriptions make it possible to keep the FED feast going.
We encourage all subscribers to upgrade their free subscription and thereby pay the gift forward in one great circle of giving and receiving. Together, we make bounty happen!
Upgrade your subscription to share the bounty.
All are welcome at the table, and together, we co-create and sustain community. Pass it on…
For more goodies…
Be sure to check out all the wonderful contributions added to the FED table since our launch on the vernal equinox of 2024. Our global collection of musicians, artists, writers, growers, gleaners, cooks, and craftspeople cook up a smorgasbord of aesthetic and literal nourishment for your body and soul. Yum!
 | A guest post by
|