Tomato Sauce by Aelle
At last, my grandmother shared with me why nobody’s sauces tasted like hers.
The same response always came out of our mouths when we tasted nonna‘s sauce: “This is so good,” “Nonna, always the best,” “Mmmmmmmmmmmm…” She always snickered at our responses, and we always badgered our mother why her sauce was so good. My mother did not have a clue. She said it was the pan she used. Nonna said it was because she cooked with “the love.”
One day, when I was one of the first ones to arrive at her house on Sunday, she employed my tastebuds once again to see if her sauce was good enough. It was good enough all the time, better than good, but I asked her again what magic she uses. She laughed at me again, and took my hand towards the corner of the kitchen. I was looking at the shelves she went towards, and I was a bit confused. She took a bottle from the bottom shelf and showed it to me. “I never told your mother.”
The reason why she never told my mother because the bottle contained Brandy. If my mother ever knew that her babies ate tomato sauce with brandy in it, she would have a fit. But it made sense. When alcohol is added to anything andcooked down, it gives a sweetness to whatever it is in. Ever wonder why risotto has a sweet taste? It’s not just because of the onions, but also because of the white wine added to it to deglaze the pan.
I laughed all the way home. You bet I told my mother. She did not believe me at all. I had to drag her to my nonna to show her I was serious. I still think she doesn’t believe me. And to this day, we smile and laugh when we see her pour sauce over each dish. It’s like taking a shot of something better than…well…a shot.
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