Red Sauce (Alton Brown)

  • 8 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4 anchovy filets
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Two 28-ounce cans peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained
  • One 2-inch Parmesan rind 
  1. Work the garlic, salt and 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil together with a mortar and pestle until a paste forms.
  2. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic paste and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. 
  3. Add the anchovies and the red pepper flakes and cook until the anchovies begin to break down, about 1 minute. (I usually use the back of a wooden spoon to crush the anchovies.)
  4. Add the tomatoes and break them up with the back of the spoon then submerge the Parmesan rind in the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, until the sauce is almost dry, about 1 hour. 
  5. Discard the Parmesan rind or feed it to the dog. Use the sauce immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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