The Iconic Sugo: The Little Black Dress of Italian Cuisine
Plus: Roman roads, Italian birthday cakes, and slow food school!
Ciao friends!
Step into my world of two-way roads that are only wide enough for 1 car, kids that eat like grownups, and the pasta sauce that changed everything for me (not exaggerating! This is where it all began!)
But first, let’s start with this week! It was my son’s 13th birthday. Have you ever seen an Italian kid’s birthday cake? Let me show you…
In 13 years of children’s birthday parties in Italy, I have never met a cake outlier. Bambini celebrate with the same special occasion treats that adults eat: high quality, low processed cakes and tarts made with simple ingredients. Italians are consistent and brilliant in their food culture philosophy: children eat what adults eat, from the time they are little, so if the cake looks a grown-up’s birthday cake…that’s because... it is! In the Como area, traditional bakery cakes include:
custard tarts topped with fresh berries and kiwi,
Pan di Spagna (sponge) cake layered with pastry cream and fruit,
crostata di marmelata - marmalade tarts with lattice crusts,
Torta Millefoglie - crispy puff pasty alternated with vanilla Chantily cream, and
my son’s favorite: torta Sacher - dark chocolate cake layers offset with tangy-sweet apricot marmalade and covered shiny chocolate ganache.
Dual-citizen that my son is, he had 2 cakes - the Italian cake on his actual birthday and a homemade American-style cake with cream cheese frosting for his party.
Speaking of the party, why don’t I take you with me? There’s only one way to get there - the one narrow, harrowing road that runs from Como to Bellagio. Below is typical traffic once tourists arrive in their SUV rental cars and camper vans, struggling to navigate between the unforgiving stone walls. Pro tip: beat the traffic, take the traghetto (ferry) instead, and see the villas as they were meant to be seen, from the water!
Earlier in the week there was a different kind of obstacle on this road - a mudslide - blocking locals from returning to their homes for a good 12 hours, but sometimes they can make streets impassable for days.
Once we got off the main lake road, it was a breathless 5-minute hike up the ancient Roman path to the party. Follow the balloons!
…and finally, a quintessential Lake Como view, the finished Brawl Stars pinata, and a gloriously sunny warm day welcoming us to the festivities at my ex’s house. We feel beyond blessed for this wonderful teenager (!) we’ve got.
Post-party summary: It was a blast. We are exhausted from too much fun. This week, my Slow Food Advocacy course continues. Loving it. Tell you more next time!
On to this week’s Weeknight Pasta! We’re making the iconic SUGO or tomato sauce, a staple in most Italian homes. We eat it weekly at our house. Sugo is divinely versatile and can be served over any shape of pasta from spaghetti to farfalle (butterfly-shaped pasta) to paccheri (big tubes) or ravioli. It can be used for lasagna or to top a pizza. It’s simple to make and stores wonderfully in the fridge for 2 days or freezer up to 3 months.
I never liked tomato sauce until I moved to Italy. I always thought it was too sweet and I didn’t want sweet stuff on my pasta. Then I tried this sugo, which is how my then mother-in-law, Silvana, taught me to make it. The recipe is hers. She explained that the pinch of sugar just cuts the acidity but doesn’t add sweetness. This sauce is savory and simple, like summer tomatoes but with the year-round convenience of jarred tomato puree.
Click the video below to watch me make it or…
…scroll to the very bottom to download recipe pdf!
Tomato sauce
Sugo di pomodoro
FOR 4 PEOPLE
Extra-virgin olive oil, good quality
White or yellow onion, a few very thin slices
1 jar passata aka pureed Italian tomatoes, 700g
Salt, to taste
Sugar, a pinch
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Coat the bottom of a tall sided sauce pan with good quality olive oil. Do not use a skillet or other wide pan as it’s difficult to keep the heat very low for the simmering.
2. Gently heat the oil. On my induction, I use level 3
3. Cut a couple thin slices of onion and place them in the oil. You don’t want to fry them but gently heat them so the oil absorbs their flavor.
4. Don’t walk away! When you see the first bit of onion has just started to brown (approx 5 minutes), pull the pan off. Take it over to the sink and tilt the pan. Pour in the passata. This reduces splatter but if it does, it happens over the sink.
5. Optional: run a few spoonfuls of water into your bottle. Re-close with the cap and shake. Empty into your pan to use all the delicious passata.
6. Add 2 Tbls salt and pinch of sugar, cover and bring to a simmer (barely bubbling) for 30 -60 minutes, stirring occasionally. 60 minutes will produce more intense, melded flavor, which is what I usually do unless I’m really rushed and desperate.
7. When you stir, taste for salt. Add more if needed.
8. Spoon onto your just-cooked pasta and eat IMMEDIATELY. Yum!
ITALIAN PRO TIP: Don’t let the pasta sit after you top it with the sauce or you will eat mushy tomato-flavored pasta that absorbed the sauce - instead of delicious pasta with tomato sauce! Enjoy immediately.
NOTES:
The ingredients are very simple and cost pennies per serving so pick the best quality to have the best flavor for you to enjoy.
- If you like more onion, put more slices
- If you prefer garlic to onion, peel and cut a clove of (or more) in half and sauteè instead of the onion
- To add more flavor and richness, add a piece of pancetta or other cooked meat with the onion at the beginning
Any leftover sugo? Store in the fridge for 2 days or freezer up to 3 months.
Buon appetito! Have the best week and don’t forget to let me know if you make the pasta!
x Lolly
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Happy birthday to your baby!!! 🥳 and I agree… there’s something so deeply delicious and satisfying (and utterly confounding! 😁) with simple, clean cooking.
My Tuscan mother-in-law never added sugar, but finished with a little bit of butter! Magic.