Mostly Mike Isabella’s Pepperoni Pasta Sauce

Even though tomatoes give me heartburn now that I’m old, I LOVE pasta and pasta sauce. I happened upon this recipe when looking through an issue of Food Magazine and just knew I had to try it. The recipe, as it was, was just a little too thick for me so I increased the tomatoes just a bit. It’s important to use real pepperoni…like at the deli…not pre-sliced. This sauce is jam-packed with flavor. Get creative with how you use it!

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Serving Size: 4 1/2 cups

Chef: adapted from food.com

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Mostly Mike Isabella's Pepperoni Pasta Sauce

A thick, spicy Italian red sauce.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

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
• 1 28-oz. can San Marzano imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 fresh bay leaf

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers.
2. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
3. 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.
4. Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate.
5. 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.
6. Remove from the heat.
7. Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf); puree until smooth.
8. The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Notes

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.

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