This is my culinary rock—nothing feels more like family to me than sitting down to a bowl of spaghetti. As such, I take great care when making this dish. It’s a delicacy, not a convenience food. The pasta is always fresh and hand-made, the tomatoes must either be cooked in season or home-canned, and you always top with Pecorino-Romano, never Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s the only recipe for which I do not recommend making any alterations, you should follow it to a T.
Paired with Graham Markel’s Sangiovese, this meal is the epitome of everything I love in life—traditional family cooking paired with local natural wine. It’s the feeling that allows me to call the Pacific Northwest my home.
Method
- Combine olive oil, garlic, and chili pepper into a large pot.
- Cook until garlic is pale gold. Do not let it become brown—if it does, discard and start over.
- Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and cook for another ~3-5 minutes.
- Add in water in a ratio of 1:3 to the tomatoes. That is, for 56 oz of canned tomatoes add 18 oz water. The amount of water is subjective–our family’s sauce is a bit on the thinner side.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Add the green pepper.
- Cook for ~1-2 hours over low heat with the lid slightly ajar. It should just barely be bubbling.
- If your sauce is thinner than desired, cook with the lid off for a bit. If it is too thick, add some more water.
- Add fresh basil, cook for ~10 mins.
- Bring a large pot to a boil, and cook pasta as instructed here
- Toss with spaghetti then serve with grated Pecorino Romano, red chili flakes, and basil chiffonade.
Wine Paring
Buona Notte
Sangiovese
This Sangiovese has fruity notes with a touch of spice that blends perfectly with an array of tomato-based sauces
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Spaghetti w/ Marinara
la marinara della mamma
By: Daniel Lucas
This is my culinary rock—nothing feels more like family to me than sitting down to a bowl of spaghetti. As such, I take great care when making this dish. It’s a delicacy, not a convenience food. The pasta is always fresh and hand-made, the tomatoes must either be cooked in season or home-canned, and you always top with Pecorino-Romano, never Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s the only recipe for which I do not recommend making any alterations, you should follow it to a T.
Paired with Graham Markel’s Sangiovese, this meal is the epitome of everything I love in life—traditional family cooking paired with local natural wine. It’s the feeling that allows me to call the Pacific Northwest my home.
Method
- Combine olive oil, garlic, and chili pepper into a large pot.
- Cook until garlic is pale gold. Do not let it become brown—if it does, discard and start over.
- Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and cook for another ~3-5 minutes.
- Add in water in a ratio of 1:3 to the tomatoes. That is, for 56 oz of canned tomatoes add 18 oz water. The amount of water is subjective–our family’s sauce is a bit on the thinner side.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Add the green pepper.
- Cook for ~1-2 hours over low heat with the lid slightly ajar. It should just barely be bubbling.
- If your sauce is thinner than desired, cook with the lid off for a bit. If it is too thick, add some more water.
- Add fresh basil, cook for ~10 mins.
- Bring a large pot to a boil, and cook pasta as instructed here
- Toss with spaghetti then serve with grated Pecorino Romano, red chili flakes, and basil chiffonade.
