Chef’s Marinara Rules: Skip Butter, Cream and Sugar, Use Fresh Basil and Slow Simmering
New German reports echo Matthew Cutolo’s emphasis on olive oil, quality tomatoes, fresh basil, plus patient cooking for authentic flavor.
Overview
- The latest inFranken.de piece published September 11 cites Matthew Cutolo’s warning that butter and cream do not belong in a traditional marinara.
- Cutolo advises against adding sugar, noting natural sweetness emerges with time or can be balanced with finely grated carrot or onion.
- Dried basil and other dried herbs can taste muted or soapy, so fresh basil should be folded in at the end for a clean, lively aroma.
- Fresh or roasted garlic is preferred to garlic powder because key flavors develop when cloves are cut or crushed rather than dehydrated.
- Chip.de adds practical guidance: choose quality tomatoes such as San Marzano, cook with olive oil, and let the sauce gently simmer for 30 to 120 minutes.