Pacific Grill’s Winter Pasta Sauce
Published: 12/21/2009 by Tacoma's Pacific Grill
Ingredients
1/3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil -- or more to taste
1 each onions -- peeled and diced
2 ribs celery -- diced
1 whole carrot -- peeled and diced
1 small can tomato paste
4 cloves garlic -- chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh marjoram -- coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil -- coarsely torn
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes -- scant--to taste
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano -- crushed
1/4 tablespoon dried thyme
2 cups red wine (whatever as long as it’s worth drinking)
28 oz ounces San Marzano Tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar-- (if needed to taste)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil -- to taste; reserved
Serving Size: 12
Method
• Add oil to deep pot and gently heat
• Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook until onions are softened and
translucent
• Add chopped garlic, dried herbs, chili flakes, and tomato paste and sauté
until tomato paste looks “clumpy”. Do not over-brown the garlic
• Add red wine and reduce by 1/3
• Add chopped San Marzano tomatoes with their liquid. Add the sugar
• Bring to a simmer and reduce heat, cook sauce for approximately 15-20
minutes
• Add salt and pepper to taste taking care that the sauce is not too spicy from
the chili flakes. (HINT add seasoning if sauce tastes bland by first adding some salt & pepper to a
small taste of the sauce—NOT to the entire pot. Then if you decide it needs seasoning add to the
rest of the sauce. Then you don’t accidentally over-season the whole recipe!)
• Add the fresh marjoram and basil off the heat, but while the sauce is still hot and stir.
Stir in the reserved olive oil
• Taste the sauce
• If it is too sweet-- add a splash of good vinegar to re-balance the sauce (much like a wine that is
out of round). If it is too acidic, add a pinch more sugar
• Cool sauce
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