Salsa di Pomodoro

There are innumerable varieties of tomato sauces in Italian cuisine, and every Italian chef has his or her own. Tomato sauces may be roughly divided into two categories: long-cooked sauces for pasta, similar to Salsa di Pomodoro, and short-cooked sauces, such as those used for pizzas. Short-cooked sauces, such as marinara, may be seasoned quite simply with chopped garlic, salt, and pepper, and are cooked just long enough to reduce the tomato slightly, as they will cook again on top of the pizza. Long-cooked sauces are sweetened with a soffritto and simmered long enough to develop flavor and cook out the tomato’s acidity.