NY Pizza Sauce from The Scarr's Pizza Cookbook

"I like keeping the freshness of the tomato sauce. It doesn't get cooked until you're making a pizza, which gives it a brighter flavor. Start with good-quality canned tomatoes, whichever brand you prefer. I like tomatoes that are naturally sweeter, and I also add a lot of fresh herbs and black pepper."

- Scarr Pimentel

Now, THIS is a pizza sauce with a story. Scarr's pizza sauce is straight from NY, and just like the pizzeria where it's made, it has a story to tell. Pick up some history with this NY pizza sauce.

Use it right away or save it for that special NY pizza night.

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The Scarr's Pizza Cookbook

This NY pizza sauce recipe comes from The Scarr's Pizza Cookbook: New York-Style Pizza for Everybody by Scarr Pimentel.

My friend's mom used to be the general manager at Lombardi's - it was the first pizzeria in the United States - and she was friends with Emilio Sr. She was Italian American, and so was everyone else who worked at Lombardi's, so they weren't going to hire me there. She wasn't involved in any street stuff, but she knew how I was. I was a little wild at the time. Normal New York shit. She was like, "I need him off the street!"

So even though I wasn't an Italian, she told Emilio, "Hire this kid. You need a busser; you need people." Emilio was up to here with bills, but she convinced him to give me a job as a busboy. Then I moved up to server. We were in the middle of Downtown, right on Houston Street, near SoHo. The restaurant had a back room where famous people, or people Emilio knew, could go for a little more privacy. I saw the Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson fight working in the back room.

But then after a couple years, I wanted to try something different. I started selling cellphones and beepers on 125th street. It was 1999 and and I was 19. It was the golden era of hip-hop, before Harlem got somewhat gentrified, and I met all the rappers there. I sold beepers to Jim Jones before he became popular, I met Cam'ron, and I saw Jay-Z and Dame Dash.

I got into trouble and went down to Miami for a little bit, around the time my parents had moved there. When I came back to New York, I ended up working at Lombardi's again. I started off by taking phone orders to get used to the fast pace. We had three phones ringing off the hook at prime time, and we would take orders and write them down.

Then, one of the servers quit, so I switched to doing that, and I started making good money. Being in restaurants was working for me. And then I started learning to make pizza.

NY Pizza Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• tomatoes - crushed tomatoes or whole peeled plum tomatoes, no salt added. If using whole tomatoes, you'll need to blend it when finished
• salt - kosher
• oil - we're using Giadzy's Italian Riviera extra virgin olive oil
• onion - Vidalia or other sweet onion is preferred for this NY pizza sauce
• garlic
• oregano - fresh is preferred, but dried will work
• basil - fresh is preferred, but dried will work
• black pepper - we like freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

• prep bowls
• butcher block
• chef knife
• can opener
• wooden spoon
• copper saucier
• molcajete (optional)
• immersion blender (optional)

Prep the Onion, Garlic, Oregano, and Basil

Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a knife and a cutting board to chop the onion, garlic, and oregano. Tear 6 to 7 basil leaves from their stems.

Combine the Tomatoes and Salt

Open the canned tomatoes and pour them into a clean bowl. Use a measuring spoon to add the salt and stir to combine. Set it aside.

Cook the Onion

Heat the sauce or sauté pan over medium heat. Use a measuring spoon to add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute or until the onion is translucent.

Scarr says it's just enough onion to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

Add the Garlic, Oregano, & Basil

Add the chopped garlic, oregano, and basil to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant.

Pour it Onto the Tomato Mixture

Pour the contents of the pan onto the tomato mixture you set aside earlier.

Add the Pepper and Stir

Grind the pepper and add it to the pizza sauce. Stir everything to combine. If you used whole tomatoes, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. The sauce can be used right away.