Sunday, lazy Sunday

Pardon my allusion to the U2 song. I just couldn’t resist since the band happens to be one of my favorites.

As I sit here on this fine, sunny Sunday afternoon……still in my pajamas……I can’t help but indulge in complete apathy and partake in this day of rest. Afterall, God did call his followers to observe a day of rest with the utmost obedience, and it is truly a blessing to be able to relax for at least one day of the week.

But when I have the house to myself and the television has been playing for hours on end, there’s nothing more relaxing and therapeutic for me than cooking, of course. Usually, my Sunday tradition is to put on a pot of my homemade marinara and let it simmer all day, filling the house with aromas of garlic and onion sauteed with olive oil and then that sweet, jammy tomato scent sneaking up in the background. I’ve slacked on my Italian familial duties lately to prepare such meal, because during football season, what is considered the norm is placed on the back burner, and tailgate fare graces us with its presence. But not this week.

Nostalgia kicked in and right now, I have my marinara gingerly cooking on the stove. A drastic change in taste was desperately in need after the past few days’ turkey festivities, and Italian fit the bill.

Now, I’m not usually one to brag, but I do proclaim that I make a delicious tomato sauce. Funny thing is, I make it a little bit differently every time. Yes, it has garlic and onions and extra virgin olive oil, but no specific measurements. I just eyeball whatever amounts I feel look right and toss them into the pot; however, when it comes to the tomatoes, I always use a 100 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes. The tomatoes have to be San Marzanos because they are simply the best. Straight from southern Italy with D.O.P. pride (Denominazione di Origine Protetta….literally translated as “Protected Designation of Origin”). Marinara wouldn’t be the same without wine, so I use whatever I have in the cabinet – Pinot Grigio, Cabernet, Malbec, Port, Dry Sherry. Bottom line: never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink. You have to start with the best to end with the best. And other than a sprinkling of crushed, dried rosemary and fresh basil, that’s all there is to my sauce.

The true secret is to let the sauce simmer for at least 6 hours. The onions caramelize, the tomatoes break down into a sweet pulp, and the garlic just melts into everything. Absolute perfection.

I know what I’m having for dinner tonight….and for the rest of the week for that matter. With a pot this big, I have enough sauce to serve it over pasta tonight, make lasagna tomorrow night, make pizza the next night, make meatball subs the following night, and……well, you get the idea.

Now if only I could find some energy to make homemade pasta to go with my marinara on this lazy Sunday???? That’s another story and I’ll save it for another blog post someday.