Simple Red Sauce
This quick and easy raw sauce is almost too simple; the biggest challenge involves having a head of roasted garlic at the ready. But it’s rich and flavorful, with the flavor of the whole tomatoes bright and fresh against the fragrant savor of roasted garlic.
The real surprise, though, comes from the contribution of St. Louis Rib Rub. As far as the flavor profile of pasta sauce goes, using this rub is slightly unconventional, but it works. The ancho pepper and paprika bring a hearty depth to this sauce, which is offset by the verdant pops of fennel and celery and the sweet touch of sugar. It’s two tablespoons of pure balance that center the tomatoes and garlic.
While this is delicious on Shiitake Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza, it’s a great sauce for a simple weeknight pasta dinner, and it makes an amazing Chicken Parmesan Sandwich. If the garlic is already roasted it will be ready to eat in a matter of minutes; if you have to roast the garlic it will take about half an hour. It would also be wonderful over grilled chicken, served over bruschetta with shaved Parmesan cheese, or spooned over grilled zucchini and eggplant.
- 20 oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained
- 1 head of roasted garlic*
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons St Louis Rib Rub
- 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.
*To make roasted garlic, preheat oven to 400°F. Take an entire head of garlic, remove the extraneous outer leaves and slice across the top of the entire head. Put it on foil or a small baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle across the top with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. When it is cool, squeeze cloves straight out of their leaves and into the mixing bowl of your food processor.
