This is one of the first 100% fresh tomato sauces, made from San Marzano Tomatoes. Donatella Arpaia, like most professional chefs, would never use a canned or jarred tomato sauce if she has the time to make a fresh homemade sauce. Understanding that most people do not have the best raw ingredients or the time to make fresh tomato sauce themselves, Donatella has done it for them. This 100% fresh sauce is made from sweet, low-acid San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy. Their flavor is unmatched, with a nice pulp and few seeds. You can tell this is a different sauce from the ones you have known, even before you open the jar – the natural vibrant red color shows its freshness. (Sauces made from canned tomatoes are packed in citric acid, have a darker red color and a metallic taste). Donatella’s Essential Sauce looks fresh because it is fresh. There are no dried ingredients; the celery, onion, basil and garlic are all fresh. There are no preservatives or citric acids, there is no added water, sugar or concentrated tomato products to “doctor” the sauce. This is the real thing!

Because the Essential Sauce is fresh, it needs to be simmered over medium heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil for ten minutes before serving. The sauce is perfect by itself with pasta (feel free to add your own favorite ingredients), as the base on a homemade pizza, for a delicious tomato soup or Bloody Mary!

Some great recipes are listed in the booklet, which comes with the jar, so experiment with this versatile staple – one you will always want to have close at hand in your kitchen.