Your Marinara Needs Onion or Garlic, but Not Both
A few years ago I read somewhere that Italians never use onions and garlic in a marinara; it’s always one or the other. Like many black-and-white culinary “rules” you come across online, this didn’t hold up to a cursory Google search – it may be true in some regions of Italy, but it’s more of an old-school superstition than the unbreakable law of Italian cuisine. However, sometimes you have to pay tribute to old-fashioned superstitions: when I started using only garlic in my red sauce, I sincerely felt that I had revealed the main secret of the universe.
Superstition or not, choosing between two bulbs makes a lot of sense. Onions and garlic certainly complement each other, but when they are combined, they almost cancel each other out. Instead of the distinct taste of onion and garlic, often what you taste is just “something good.” If you stick to one, its flavor becomes a feature of the dish rather than a supporting role. In a dish as simple as a marinara, this choice has a huge impact on the flavor of the finished sauce; you can really taste every ingredient, especially your favorite onion.
For me, this onion is always garlic. With the very notable exception of Marcella Hazan’s tomato-butter sauce , I’ve always been cool at best with onions in my red sauce. It’s mostly texture: chopped onion melted in olive oil or butter is one thing, but medium to large cubes in a silky sauce just frustrates me. Meanwhile, even coarsely chopped garlic becomes pleasantly soft when boiled for a long time. I also just prefer the stronger flavor that garlic imparts, especially when paired with boiled tomatoes and olive oil.
My red sauce recipe can hardly be called a recipe at the moment, but to give you an idea, here’s how I make it. I cook 10-12 cloves of minced garlic, a teaspoon of minced red pepper, and half a cup of olive oil in a very large saucepan for 5 minutes over medium heat. While this is happening, I use my immersion blender to purée a #10 can of whole tomatoes (that’s about 4 28oz cans) and then add that to the pot. I bring the whole thing to a high boil and let it sit there for maybe 5 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer until it’s reduced by almost half and the oil starts to separate. It usually takes about 4 hours. I finish with salt, sugar – I buy cheap sour canned tomatoes from a restaurant store; sugar is an absolute must and optional red pepper to taste.
For me, my red sauce is perfect: super garlicky, slightly spicy, and with a rich, balanced tomato flavor. (All that olive oil almost confits the tomatoes as they cook; bellissimo, as they say.) But I think it would be just as good with onions instead of garlic, especially if you prefer a milder, sweeter sauce. You can even substitute olive oil for butter and maybe fry it first – I’m sure Marcella would approve.