This week I found myself at home with one child and a broken refrigerator. It felt like the universe was telling me to go out to eat, to go have dinner with my 15-year-old, to go anywhere that won't distract from a conversation with my eldest, who seems happier and happier to slip away to her room for hours on end.

And so I did, first to a local sushi restaurant, Wasabi, which we know and love, and last night, to Innovo Kitchen, a place I don't know well at all but whose patio, this time of year anyway, is always packed, no matter the day of the week.

Upon sitting down to eat and pulling up the menu*, we were both IN, Ella for the Cool Ranch Doritos Tater Tots, me for the Eggplant Meatballs with Housemade Ricotta and Hazan Tomato Sauce. Yes, you read that right: Hazan Tomato Sauce. I know many many home cooks who know and love Marcella Hazan's famous sauce, the 3-ingredient one with tomato, onion, and butter, but it is not something I have ever seen referenced on a menu.

Have you?

The eggplant meatballs arrived, and while I, of course, was excited to try them, my fork went for the sauce first. Taste this, I said to Ella after sampling it. And she did, swiping a meatball from my plate as she oohed and aahed, instantly impressed by the whole combination. The meatballs were delicious, but the sauce was so, so tasty, immediately recognizable in its freshness.

It has been a long time since I have made Marcella's tomato sauce. I tend to make this one all winter long, and this one, when summer produce season is in full swing. But I have only one mission this weekend, which is to get to the farmers market and then make a large batch of Marcella's famous sauce to simmer homemade eggplant meatballs in (this recipe looks promising) to serve alongside homemade ricotta.

I can't wait. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend 🍅🧅🍆

Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce

*It was a QR code menu, which, call me old, I just don't love.

PS: I've been working on a rosemary-olive sourdough loaf... almost there!

Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Easy Charred Cherry Tomato Salsa

"I pledge that I will never eat another salsa, this is that delicious. The balance of flavors is superb, and they are subtle. My heat temp also. Thanks for this recipe."

— Nora

7 Recipes to Make Right Now

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter, Simplified — I don't peel the tomatoes, and I don't discard the onion at the end... I purée it all together. Use the sauce in this...