"Founded in 1896 in East Harlem and famous for being impossible to get into, Rao’s sauce is notable for the absence of onions and garlic; it’s on the chunky side, forthrightly oily, and sweeter than most. Claiming to be a product of Italy, its flavor comes from aromatics, carrots, and celery, making it more like a pizza sauce than a pasta sauce in its extreme simplicity. I used it with thick dried fettuccine (also made by Rao’s) and fennel pork sausage from Satriale’s, and the pairing worked well." - Robert Sietsema