Recipe: Perfect Basic Marinara

Basic Marinara.

You can have Basic Marinara using 9 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Basic Marinara

1. You need 2-3 of medium tomatoes (firm but ripe is best).
2. Prepare 1/2 of small onion.
3. Prepare 1 of whole garlic bulb.
4. It's 1/8 c of vodka.
5. You need 1/4-1/2 c of red wine.
6. It's 1-2 tbs of dried and grated parmesian.
7. Prepare 1-2 tsp of paprika (for color).
8. You need of salt, black pepper and chili to taste (I use sea salt and habanero).
9. It's 1/2 tsp of cumin (optional).

Basic Marinara step by step

1. Prep all your fresh veggies by dicing your tomatoes, mincing your onion, and peeling and thinly slicing your garlic..
2. WARNING! Remember to season the veggies with only a little bit of salt and not to put too much because all the salt will add up in the end..
3. Then sauté your your garlic and onion one by one in the same pan (or pot), making sure to remove them from the pan and set them aside for for later..
4. Next, sauté your tomatoes and when softened enough, use a potato masher to crush your tomatoes into a paste..
5. Now add your garlic and onion back into the pan with the tomatoes..
6. Add your vodka and wine to the pan, along with all of your seasonings (except for the parmesian) and make sure to mix thoroughly..
7. Simmer the sauce until the alcohol is almost cooked through and then add the parmesian last, making sure to mix as you pour and only a little at a time so that it doesn't clump up..
8. Voíla! And you're done! I suggest your serve this as 4-8 tbs of sauce per 1 c of pasta. And feel free to add some fresh basil on top..
9. NOTE: If you don't have or like vodka, you can use any other hard liquor of your choice as long as you stick to a 1 part to 2 part ratio. One part hard liquor to two-part red wine. The red wine unfortunately is non-negotiable since it adds a really nice smell to the sauce. But don't feel like you have to spend it any big amount of money on either the hard liquor or the red wine, I just use the cheapest I can find and it works pretty well..
10. NOTE: And as long as your tomatoes are crushed somehow, it doesn't matter what you use to do it, you can even use a fork if you'd like. Just make sure that it is thoroughly crushed into a paste..