Post-war America was suddenly enthralled with Italian food and Maria Lo Pinto capitalized on this with The Art of Italian Cooking, a collection of recipes that helped introduce Italian and red sauce cuisine into homes across the country.

It was during this same period that pizza went from an obscure ethnic food to national sensation and a few years before frozen lasagnas invaded grocer’s freezers.

Ingredients

1 large can tomatoes
4 tablespoons oil
2 sliced onions
1 clove garlic
2 ounces grated Romano
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 filets of anchovy

Instructions

Saute onion and garlic until soft.
Add tomatoes.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Simmer for 60 minutes.
Add chopped anchovies .
Add sugar.
Stir for ten minutes.
Add oregano.
Pour sauce over cooked pasta.

Read all about this and other historic sauces in Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American.