Rich Tomato Sauce with Bacon
This is the sauce I make with tinned tomatoes once my own season is over. I often have it with plain pasta, gnocchi or polenta. The bacon/pancetta is optional but I find that just a little bit of my home-made bacon, which is very smoky and often on the salty side, gives it a flavour boost.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan or shallow casserole and throw in the crushed garlic. Let it sizzle for a moment, but before it takes any colour add both tins of tomatoes with all their juice. As the tomatoes come to the boil, break them up with a wooden spoon. Simmer the sauce hard until it becomes thick and pulpy (make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan).
Only when the sauce is finished should you adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, otherwise it will become overseasoned as it reduces.
if you want to add smoked bacon or pancetta, which will make the sauce rich and smoky, fry it in a separate pan with a little olive oil until nicely browned. Then throw it into the tomato sauce halfway through cooking. The addition of bacon will almost certainly mean no extra salt is needed.
Stir the butter into the sauce just before serving.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 large garlic cloves
2 400g tins of peeled plum tomatoes
50g smoked bacon or pancetta, cut into small dice
30g butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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