This is the first recipe my mum ever taught me. And, when I visit my godmother Zia Maria in Altona for lunch, it’s the dish I always request and love. Both women are masters at making the sweetest sauce with good quality dried fettuccine, sprinkled with the very best pecorino cheese and olive oil. I recommend tasting this recipe as you prepare it (always!) so you are able to balance the seasoning and finesse the sauce to your taste. It’s wonderful atop quality dried egg based or semolina pasta.

And if you have leftover sauce and pasta, take my word for it; this is incredible the next day fried in olive oil until the pasta is crispy on the bottom - you won’t be able to stop at one bite. There is a recipe at the end for fresh tomatoes as an option when they are in season.

Watch me make it here

Download the recipe card here

Serves: 8 people

Preparation: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 large handful of fresh basil leaves, gently torn

2 x 400g tins crushed tomatoes (I love to use the Mutti “Polpa” finely

chopped tomatoes)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Cracked pepper, to taste

600-800g Fettuccinne (I love La Molisana or for a spaghetti option Martelli)

Grated pecorino pepato, to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling, to taste

METHOD

Step 1: Make the sugo di pomodoro

Pour the extra virgin olive oil in a heavy based medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until soft and translucent. Please don’t burn the onions (or else, you will have to start again!)
Add the garlic and basil, and gently stir for one minute to allow the flavours to combine. Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn as it will become bitter.
Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and cracked pepper and bring the sugo to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low to simmer for 30- 45 minutes.
Whilst the sugo is simmering, place a lid over the saucepan and allow a little of the steam to escape. Stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. If it burns, the ‘burnt flavour’ will permeate through the whole batch and render it useless!
Taste the sugo as you go along. At the 30-minute mark, check for seasoning. If you feel it needs more salt, add a little bit more to your liking. You could also add more basil too if you like.
The sugo is ready when it doesn’t taste like raw tomatoes, feels good in your mouth, and the sweetness of the tomatoes makes your taste buds sing!
Step 2: Prepare the fettuccine
Meanwhile, get a large pot and boil the water adding a good handful of salt to it (always salt your water before adding the pasta!).
Add your fettuccine and cook until al dente (or follow the instructions on the packet).
When the fettuccine is ready, drain and place it back in the pot and immediately add about half of the hot sugo di pomodoro to the pasta and mix it through.
Place on to plates (or a big serving dish for sharing) and add more sugo on top, sprinkle with grated pecorino pepato, some cracked black pepper and a drizzle of your finest extra virgin olive oil.
Fresh tomato variation - making the ‘polpa’ and cooking tips
You may like to try making this recipe with fresh tomatoes when they are abundant. Roma tomatoes would be an excellent choice. However, you could try with whatever you have on hand. Just replace these fresh tomatoes instead of the canned ones in the recipe.
The key task is to remove the tomato skins and be left with a wonderful pulp under the skin. This is a very therapeutic process if you want to really slow down and enjoy cooking in the moment.
Begin by taking 800g-1kg of fresh tomatoes and, with a sharp pointed knife, cut a ‘cross’ into the base of the tomato. Then, put the tomatoes into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until the skins slowly lift. (They do not need to lift off entirely).
Transfer these tomatoes into a bowl of ice water. Set aside to cool. When cool, peel the skins off with your fingers or a knife. Chop the flesh into small pieces and make sure you keep all the juice (as it tends to drip off the chopping board - that’s the liquid gold we want to keep as well as the flesh!) and put in a bowl. You are now ready to make the sugo di pomodoro with the recipe above.
Leaving the skins on: If you don’t want to go to the trouble of taking the skins off the tomato, and you are happy to eat the skins in your sauce, just chop the tomatoes into bite size pieces. This is also a very valid method which I have done many times!
Cooking time: Fresh tomato polpa does take a little longer to cook. You may like to break them up with a potato masher during the cooking process if you don’t want the sauce chunky. All up to you! Just taste as you go along to make sure you are happy with the flavour and it is cooked to your liking.
Watch me make the sugo di pomodoro here