The best Italian sauces are also the simplest — and filetto di pomodoro is absolute proof. Six ingredients, one hour of patience, and you get something that puts any jarred sauce to shame. No special skills needed, just good ingredients and not being too lazy to let it simmer.
Ingredients :
- Imported crushed tomatoes — This is the backbone of the sauce. Quality Italian tomatoes — look for San Marzano, DOP, or IGP on the label — have naturally sweeter acidity and denser flesh than low-end cans. A bad can will give a dull, overly acidic sauce that simmering won’t fix. In summer, if you have access to real ripe fresh tomatoes, peel them in boiling water and crush them by hand.
- Carrots — They play a role few anticipate: balancing the acidity of the tomatoes with their natural sugar, without adding white sugar. Cut them into very small dice — they must melt completely into the sauce during simmering, not remain as identifiable chunks that betray their presence.
- Crushed garlic — Here, we use whole cloves flattened with the flat side of a knife, not minced. Crushed garlic releases its aromas more slowly and infuses the sauce with a sweet, round flavor rather than a sharp one. If you don’t want to find the pieces in your mouth, remove them just before adding the tomatoes.
- Light chicken broth — It serves to thin the sauce during simmering and add a slight umami depth without weighing it down. For a vegetarian version, a quality vegetable broth works very well — the result is slightly different but equally valid. Avoid overly salty bouillon cubes that overpower the sauce.
