Salsa alla Capricciosa

From EatingWell: November/December 2009 — Subscribe Now!

This is a beautifully simple, but full-flavored tomato sauce from Lidia Bastianich. Serve over spaghetti or linguine, tossing the cooked pasta with half the sauce and some Grana Padano cheese, serving the rest of the sauce on top and passing more cheese.

READER'S COMMENT:

"I loved the idea of canning and freezing this sauce as holiday gifts, so I went the extra mile to special-order guanciale (ordered online) and find an Italian market that sold San Marzano tomatoes. The recipe was really easy, and turned...

12 cups, for 24 servings

Active Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

10 slices bacon or 6 ounces guanciale (see Note), sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
9 cloves garlic, crushed
24 pepperoncini (about one 16-ounce jar), stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 28-ounce cans peeled San Marzano tomatoes (see Note)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Cook bacon (or guanciale) in oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, over medium heat until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add pepperoncini, tomatoes and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until thick and saucy, about 1 hour, reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes: Guanciale is unsmoked, air-cured pork jowl, similar to bacon, but fattier and without the smoky flavor. It’s used to add subtle, delicious pork flavor to Italian sauces, soups and vegetables. Look for it in Italian markets or online at zingermans.com.
San Marzano tomatoes are a sweet variety of plum tomatoes with an extra-saucy consistency; they make excellent canned tomatoes. Other whole canned tomatoes can be used in their place, but the flavor will not be as special. Look for San Marzano tomatoes near other whole canned tomatoes in well-stocked supermarkets.