Sugo Finto (Fake Sauce)

I initially found the name of this tomato sauce a bit confusing. The autors just give it the English name of "Tomato Sauce II", but the Italian name translates as "fake sauce". Initially I thought that I must've gotten the translation wrong. But nope! It's really called fake sauce. Apparently "fake" refers to the fact that it's meatless. You make it pretty much the same way you'd make a nice ragu sauce, but without the meat. Based on the quick bit of research I did, it stems from the "peasant" or "poverty" cooking traditions of south-central Italy.

I quite liked this sauce. Especially after I added a few capers and some extra herbs and used it to top a delicious polenta casserole!

Sugo Finto

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. corase sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened (3-4 minutes).
3. Add carrot, celery, oregano, and parsley and cook until vegetables being to brown (~5 minutes).
4. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and wine (if using).
5. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes. Sauce should reduce and thicken somewhat during this time.
6. The authors recommend running the sauce through a food mill at this point to remove skins and achieve a smooth consistency. Personally, I didn't bother.
7. If you desire a thicker sauce, cook a little more until desired consistency is achieved.
8. Optionally, drizzle with an extra 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil before serving (or storing) for extra richness.