According to Vince’s President Giancarlo Trimarchi, pasta sauce is at the root of any Italian family – it’s part of a delicious, low-cost meal. And in Italy, tomatoes are inexpensive, abundant, and among the best anywhere, due to the climate, soil, and other factors.
He adds that in making the sauce’s base ingredient – passata – tomatoes are boiled just enough to soften them, and get rid of any excess moisture and acidity. No spices, no salt.
The passata then goes into the cold storage room, waiting for you to pull out a jar or two to make your sauce. Which for the Trimarchi family, begins with a few basic ingredients in the pan: garlic, onions, and olive oil. And then they add the passata.
“You never want to blacken or overcook it, because it gets bitter again,” explains Giancarlo. “So you’re just softening it for whatever you’re making – for example a Bolognese sauce or a ragu, which are meat sauces. Or it could be for a simple pasta dinner, which would be a recipe like our Vince’s Own basil sauce.”
He points out how the more you boil off the water – or reduce it – the more intense the flavour. You can add back a little water if you overcook it, or a small amount of sugar (if needed) to cut the acidity. And because every crop of tomatoes and batch of passata is a little different, how you spice it depends more on experience than exact measurements.
In other words, let your palate be your guide.
“We love carrots,” notes Giancarlo. “You can dice them fine and use them to add a bit of sweetness without sugar. Or you can include some type of meat. Meatballs are wonderful, but how about short ribs or sausage? Or perhaps that top sirloin you have in the fridge?”
He says that when you let the sauce cook for a long period of time, everything softens up nicely, and adds to the wonderful blending of flavours.
“Our recipes have been passed down for generations,” notes Giancarlo, “and it’s hard to know how far they go back in our family. But we continue to enjoy them, and are happy to share them through our Vince’s Own sauces. Grab a jar and let us know what you think.”
