Mike Isabella's Pepperoni Sauce (For Pasta)
photo by Barenakedchef
- Ready In:
- 1hr 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
4.5 cups
ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, cut into small dice
- 5 medium garlic cloves, cut into very thin slices
- 1 lb pepperoni, cut into thin slices
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted (see NOTE)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 -12 ounces canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
- 1 1⁄2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 fresh bay leaf
directions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers.
- Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
- Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate.
- Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color.
- Remove from the heat.
- Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf); puree until smooth.
- The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
- NOTE: Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color. This only takes a couple of minutes.
- He also recomends using San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe.
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Reviews
-
I have been obsessing about this sauce since that Top Chef episode. I made it for my family, used 2 15 oz. cans of tomatoes and an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce and it was STILL very concentranted and meaty. Next time I might add even more tomatoes or even add this "concentrate" to my marinara. It is amazing. The details make this sauce, and the fennel mocks the pizza flavor even more. Thank you so much for sharing this!
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