Audrey Hepburn was famous for cooking up feasts of pasta for her film crew while on location. A devoted fan myself, I found a charming cookbook written by her son, Lucca Dotti, Audrey at Home, which includes recipes, family photos and personal stories. I took her recipe of Spaghetti al Pomodoro and gave it a Zabelicious twist. I added a few more spices and used canned tomatoes for convenience. Also, at my family’s request, Italian sausage as an option to the recipe, although I prefer it Audrey’s way.

I paired it with a red wine from northern Italy’s Alto Piemonte region, which borders the alps, only a few hours from the Swiss village Audrey spent the last 30 years of her life. Villa Guelpa’s Sizzano is a vibrant blend of Nebbiolo and Vespolina grapes that opens up nicely with hints of wild berries and spice. Sizzano has an elegant taste I think even Audrey would approve of. Buon appetito!

Recipe for Spaghetti al Pomodoro (Audrey at Home & Zabelicious)

Sautee until tender: (10-12 minutes)

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 onion peeled and finely chopped

1 carrot peeled and shredded

Puree:

(2) 28 ounce cans of whole tomatoes

1 bunch whole basil leaves, trimmed

1 tsp oregano (dried or fresh)

Pinch sugar

Combine:

Sautéed vegetables and tomato puree and bring to a simmer over medium to high heat. Lower heat to medium until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Simmer until ready to serve or store for future use.

Season to taste:

Salt

Pepper

Variations:

Consider sautéing a little prosciutto or guanciale (cheek lard) for extra flavor for the sauce. My family prefers a meat sauce, so we often add ground Italian sausage (after cooking and blotting extra grease off.)

Prepare pasta:

Cook 1 lb spaghetti al dente and drain

Toss pasta with sauce, sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Zabelicious Tips:

Whether using fresh or canned tomatoes, San Marzano is the preferred choice by chefs in Italy and Audrey’s recipe made note of that. Stanley Tucci concurs with Audrey on this, and even takes you to the farm where those tomatoes are grown in his CNN series, Searching for Italy . Fresh tomatoes are always preferred, but since they are out of season and more time consuming, I opted for creating an easier version using canned. If you have the luxury of good quality fresh tomatoes, go for it! Allow extra prep and cooking time to remove the skins and seeds of the tomatoes.