Tuscan Sauce

Sugo alla Toscana by Don Antonio with Garlic and Sweet Bell Pepper

Don Antonio's Sugo alla Toscana is the most robust tomato sauce from the Casina Rossa manufactory in Roccascalegna, seasoned exclusively with garlic and sweet bell pepper. With 6 ingredients, it has the shortest list in the range, and because celery and carrot are absent, the tomato stands out in its purest form. The name is misleading; it is cooked in the Abruzzo region.

Sugo alla Toscana is the robust tomato sauce from Don Antonio in Roccascalegna, Abruzzo, which combines the sweetness of ripe bell peppers with the intensity of fresh garlic. Tomato, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sea salt, sweet bell pepper, and citric acid – that is all there is on the label.

Robust, sweet, with an intense garlic kick

Sautéed garlic and sweet bell pepper rise from the jar, backed by a rounded, almost smoky depth.

The sauce coats the pasta with a robust and savory flavor; the bell pepper provides sweetness, the garlic adds intensity, and the olive oil binds them both together. Because celery, carrot, and basil are absent, the tomato is more unadulterated here than in the other varieties. The bell pepper takes over the sweetness that is usually contributed by the carrot.

That is the premise of this variety: fewer ingredients, but more tomato in the jar. Those who shy away from garlic should look elsewhere; everyone else will find this the zestiest of the six varieties on our shelves. When reheated the next day, the bell pepper flavor becomes even more pronounced.

With penne, grilled dishes, and toasted bread

This sauce is at its best with ridged tubular pasta, grilled vegetables, or as a savory base on toasted bread.

The ridged surface of the Penne Rigate from Azienda Guerrieri captures it perfectly; add some Pecorino and a full-bodied red wine. Grilled eggplant and zucchini pair well with it, too, and with lamb chops, the sauce becomes a side dish that requires no further seasoning.

It works perfectly as a dip for warm bread without any additions; a 480-milliliter jar is enough for a whole group at the table. The garlic tastes more pronounced cold from the refrigerator than it does lukewarm, which is why leftovers from the day before make an excellent spread for bread. Further varieties can be found in the Don Antonio collection, and more sauces in the Pasta Sauces category.

6 ingredients and the pepper in the pot

Garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes grow in the same fields around Roccascalegna, harvested in August and processed on the very same day.

Sweet bell pepper belongs to its own variety group, which almost completely lacks the heat compound capsaicin. In return, it brings fruit sugars and that deep red color which gives the sauce its hue. It goes into the pot as a whole pepper, not as a powder, and slowly releases its sweetness into the tomato.

Because no celery, carrot, or basil is added, there is even more room for the tomato. The garlic is sautéed in olive oil before the fruit is added; this takes the edge off and lets the sweetness shine. The reason the sauce is called "Toscana" despite its Abruzzese origin is simply the house designation for the most robust variety.

Each variety in the range has its own personality. In this one, it is the garlic and bell pepper that set it apart from the others—two ingredients are all it takes to create a distinct character.