slowing down and Marcella Hazan
I know I am not the only one who feels like a fast-moving pendulum these days, swinging from being completely accepting of the current state and of the world and grateful to being frustrated and mad for how things have changed. I’d be remiss not to acknowledge my privilege. I have a home to stay in, food delivered to my door and a healthy family.
But despite my gratefulness, I still do grieve the life we had, what I thought my maternity would look like with a little one and the sudden halt to our typically fast-paced life. Maybe because this change is also coinciding with being a new parent, it feels like a whole lot of new- a whole lot of slow down. With all the time at home spent cuddling Ada, it has me thinking about slowing down in general. I have opted to live my life on a treadmill for the last several years. Filling my plate with as much as possible fulfilled my self-worth and did make me happy until it burnt me out and then I would start all over again.
Suffice to say, in a few short (but long) weeks; I’ve grown accustomed to the slower pace of life. The joy we get from taking a long walk each day, the time I have to watch the ingredients really come together in the pan and soaking in every little moment with our little one.
Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce is the perfect recipe for slow days. It’s four modest ingredients that come together to create one of the most classic pasta sauces ever. I said it. It takes under an hour, but seeing the creamy and silky sauce emerge is a thing of beauty. It’s perfect for a Sunday afternoon, a quarantine lunch or even a simple entertaining meal. It’s beyond comforting, yet elevated. I hope this recipe becomes apart of your monthly rotation; it’s certainly deserving.
I’m not sure once ‘things go back to normal’ if I will jump back onto the treadmill, but I know I’ll pause more often, and enjoy the small moments of life. How have you been doing lately?
Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 lbs fresh tomatoes or 2.5 cups canned tomatoes, chopped (I prefer to use Italian imported tomatoes, but any canned tomatoes work!)
1 onion, peeled and halved
5 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
This time has allowed me to even see the beauty in the scraps. Keep these for your chicken stock!
Method
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook for 45 minutes uncovered on medium-low until the sauce has thickened and become silky! You want to see a steady simmer.
Using a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes and stir occasionally.
As the sauce is simmering, I have a big pot of salted water boiling and cook my pasta al-dente.
Once the sauce is ready, using a slotted spoon add the pasta into the sauce (this way some of the pasta water comes with it).
Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
