FOOD NEWS
Red Wine Is The Secret To Ina Garten's Finest Marinara Sauce
BY VANESSA NIX ANTHONY
A traditional marinara sauce usually contains little more tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and olive oil, but Ina Garten makes her recipe unique by adding red wine.
In a Food Network recipe video, the Barefoot Contessa shows viewers how to make a “chunky and flavorful” marinara sauce. She starts by sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil.
Once the aromatics start to caramelize, Garten pours a half cup of red wine into the pan. Her preference is Chianti, but any dry red wine will do in a pinch.
Garten turns up the heat to high for a few minutes to cook off some of the alcohol and meld the wine with the onions and garlic. Next, she adds a can of crushed plum tomatoes.
Fresh Italian parsley, salt, and pepper also go into the pot. Finally, Garten reduces the heat and allows the sauce to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Garten likes to use this marinara sauce with grilled chicken or fish, as a pizza sauce, or with spaghetti and meatballs, but it's also a great dipper for mozzarella sticks.