Not surprising, at the heart of any authentic Italian pasta sauce are the tomatoes. For Adriano Marinelli, founder and owner of Marinelli’s True Italian Pasta Sauce, the start of his journey into creating his inspired sauces began with his search for the very best tomatoes.
“Coming from an Italian background, at the beginning, I automatically thought Italy was where I would have to go to get the very best tomatoes for my sauce,” says Marinelli. He soon discovered, however, the tomatoes from Europe did not provide the best consistency in quality he was seeking, and after searching all over the world, he discovered the best tomatoes for his sauce were those he domestically sourced. “We use sub-varietals of tomatoes from 20 different suppliers that are blended. We don’t use tomatoes harvested at the beginning of the season, as they’re too acidic, and tomatoes at the end of the harvest season are too watery. We only use tomatoes harvested during the sweet spot in the middle of the season.”
Marinelli further explains that by depriving the tomato of water within a certain window of being harvested, the plant sends all its sugars to the fruit to preserve it, and that gives it its sweetest taste.
The other thing that makes his tomatoes special is that they’re hand-selected. “When they’re harvested in the field, they’re already being sorted by hand. There are multiple people handpicking and removing anything that doesn’t look just right. It’s that high level of detail that gives just the right taste and consistency.”
The way the tomatoes are processed is critically important to the flavour. “Our tomatoes have that full fresh tomato taste without any bitterness and acidity.” Marinelli explains that typically pasta sauce manufacturers mask that by adding sugar to their recipes. Marinelli adds no sugar to his sauces, so that “you really just taste the tomato, the way it should be.”
Cooking the sauce just right is important to the taste, but also to the appearance and the texture. “Colour-wise, our sauce is very bright red, and that’s because we don’t overcook it. Overcooking or cooking at too high a temperature also ruptures all those little cells within the tomato and they release all their water.”
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“The best way I can describe the texture of our sauce is a certain fluffiness on the palate, which you won’t get in a lot of other sauces, because they’re using tomato paste and reconstituting with water or industrial concentrate.”
The result of all this careful detail is a sauce that is flavourful, consistent and authentic in its simplicity, focusing on the goodness of the tomatoes and other fresh ingredients. “I’ve not tried to flex my culinary ability by adding lots of spices to nudge it in a certain direction. It has to stand on its own, and that’s why there’s minimal ingredients in there,” explains Marinelli. “It’s all these little things that add up to the final product, and best replicates the sauce I experienced as a child.”
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Classic Meatballs With Marinara Sauce
Fresh marjoram has a very pleasant aroma that complements the trio of meat in this preparation. Of course, the Marinelli’s Classic Marinara takes it over the top!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
8 oz veal, ground
8 oz pork, ground
8 oz beef, ground
1 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tbsp marjoram, minced
All-purpose flour
1 cup white wine
1 jar Marinelli’s Classic Marinara
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Combine the veal, pork and beef with the cheese and eggs. Cover and set aside.
2. In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil. Over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley and marjoram. Season and allow to cool.
3. Add the cooled onion mixture to the meat and combine well. Form into ball-like shapes. Dust with the flour, shaking off excess.
4. Heat remaining oil in large frying pan and cook meatballs until golden brown, turning over as required. Remove as they are cooked.
5. Drain any excess oil from pan and deglaze with wine. Add Marinelli’s Sauce and the cooked meatballs. Lower heat and allow to simmer very gently for another 15 minutes, allowing flavours to blend.
6. Adjust seasoning as required.
7. Serve with your favourite pasta, extra cheese and lots of love!
