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Fresh Tomato Sauce with Salami, Pepperoncini, and Mozzarella

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta)

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Salami, Pepperoncini, and Mozzarella

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)3 pounds ripe round tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ¾ cups)4 ounces salami, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices, slices cut into half-moons, and half-moons cut into ¼-inch-wide strips1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves ⅓ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini, drained and rinsed¼ teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces and blotted dry

Before You Begin

Use spicy (not mild) pepperoncini to balance the richness of the sauce. Farfalle pasta is a good choice for this sauce. If your tomatoes are tart, you may need to add up to 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; increase heat to medium-high and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape to form chunky sauce, about 10 minutes, stirring in salami after 8 minutes to heat through.
  2. Stir in oregano, pepperoncini, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Toss sauce, mozzarella, and remaining tablespoon oil with pasta and serve.
Fresh Tomato Sauce with Salami, Pepperoncini, and Mozzarella

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Salami, Pepperoncini, and Mozzarella

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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 pounds ripe round tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ¾ cups)
4 ounces salami, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices, slices cut into half-moons, and half-moons cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
⅓ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces and blotted dry

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 pounds ripe round tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ¾ cups)
4 ounces salami, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices, slices cut into half-moons, and half-moons cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
⅓ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces and blotted dry

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 pounds ripe round tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ¾ cups)
4 ounces salami, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices, slices cut into half-moons, and half-moons cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
⅓ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces and blotted dry

Why This Recipe Works

To capitalize on the full, robust flavor of great seasonal tomatoes, we found that any type of tomato tasted fine when skinned, seeded, chopped, and simmered in a skillet with garlic and olive oil—as long as it was ripe. But for suitable additions to finish our fresh tomato sauce recipes, we needed to look beyond the usual suspects like parsley and ricotta and find forceful flavors—potent herbs and spices (piney rosemary), cured meats (smoky bacon), and assertive cheeses (pungent feta), using them judiciously to keep the sauce in balance.

Before You Begin

Use spicy (not mild) pepperoncini to balance the richness of the sauce. Farfalle pasta is a good choice for this sauce. If your tomatoes are tart, you may need to add up to 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; increase heat to medium-high and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape to form chunky sauce, about 10 minutes, stirring in salami after 8 minutes to heat through.
  2. Stir in oregano, pepperoncini, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Toss sauce, mozzarella, and remaining tablespoon oil with pasta and serve.

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Appears In

Magazine

September / October 2006

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