Tomatensaus (Hazan)

This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste. This is an unsurpassed sauce for potato gnocchi, but it is also delicious with factory pasta in such shapes as spaghetti, penne and rigatoni.

Serves 6

• fresh, ripe tomatoes 900g, or 500g tinned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up with their juice

• butter 75g

• onion 1 medium, peeled and cut in half

• salt

• parmigiano-reggiano freshly grated, for the table

If you are using fresh tomatoes, you can prepare them by blanching them or using a food mill. The blanching method can lead to a meatier, more rustic consistency. The food mill method produces a silkier, smoother sauce. To blanch, plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less. Drain them and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them, and cut them up into coarse pieces. For the food mill method, wash the tomatoes in cold water, cut them in half lengthwise, and put them in a covered saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Set a food mill fitted with the disc with the largest holes over a bowl. Transfer the tomatoes with any of their juices to the mill and puree.

Put either the prepared, fresh tomatoes or the tinned ones into a saucepan, add the butter, onion and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomatoes. Stir from time to time, mashing any large piece of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.

The sauce may be frozen when done, after discarding the onion.