Just as mangoes in Hawaii have ruined mangoes from anywhere else for me, the bulging beauty of East Coast tomatoes have made boxed-still-green supermarket tomatoes a bitter pill to swallow.
That said, I generally prefer to melt down fresh tomatoes for sauce, deferring to whole canned kind when the freshies are looking wan. Occasionally I'll dip into tomato paste when I'm looking for a hit of sweetness, color, and depth in whatever I'm making. Even though I do keep it around, I find that I hardly ever use prepared tomato sauce.
But...that may change! An always-in-the-know food friend of mine was kind enough to point me in the direction of Nanny's Cucina Marinara.
Handmade in small batches from roma and grape tomatoes, this deeply red sauce has a glossy patina, pleasing, slow-cooked sweetness, and a bit of a spicy bite-back that beats the pants off your run-of-the-mill jarred marinara. It's like sticking a finger into an old-school Sunday Dinner.
Prepared food goblins can step off--The Sauce is a great example of a flavorful time-saver, made only from ingredients you can pronounce. (That, and it just plain tastes better than anything a mere mortal could pull off on a weekday.)
Regina, I think you've done your Nanny's recipe proud--witness, Sausage and Pepper Sliders made possible--nay, scrumptious!--by your lovely sauce.
>CHOMP<
Alas, The Sauce isn't available in stores yet, but you can order it online via Nanny Cucina's site, where there's also recipes and some great family photos, too!
What's next for Nanny's? A yet-spicier Arrabbiata Sauce and their version of Puttanesca, pegged All About Olives...can't wait!
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