Special Sauce

A couple months ago, one of the groomsmen from our wedding, who's also a good friend of ours, went on a cross-country trip while living in his van and graced us with his presence for a couple of weeks. He taught me something that changed my life and my relationship with pasta forever. And now, I'm going to bestow this knowledge onto you, you lucky goose!

Remember last fall when I attempted (and succeeded) to can an entire bucket of roma tomatoes? Well, this tomato sauce kills that homegrown version because of it's simple yet fresh and balanced flavor. Ready for it? So easy! Go!

(this is my amended version which I made this weekend for a make-your-own pizza night with some students).

1 large can of tomatoes (get crushed if you don't have one of those handblender whiz thingies)
1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes (adds an extra zest-you don't have to though)
a little bit of sugar
salt to taste
3 cloves of garlic (or in my case, i used 3 of those frozen cubes of garlic from trader joes'-it's deliciously garlicky!, but you don't have to do this part either)
half a stick of butter (secret ingredient! don't leave this out!)
Half an onion

Prep time: 3-5 Minutes, makes enough for pasta for 4, or pizza for 8

Throw everything into a pot and boil, then simmer for an hour or so while stirring occasionally. Don't do anything to the onion, just stick it into the pot and the layers will eventually separate as it cooks.

After a while, take it off the stove, pull out the limp onion layers, and serve. If you used whole tomatoes, just whiz it up til smooth.

SO EASY! And, I might add, perfect for the creative types like me that hate recipes and are determined to tweak and change depending on mood, the weather, or other variables. The smartest thing to do with this recipe is make a bunch of it and keep it in the fridge for a quick and easy meal.