Arrabiata Sauce

A wonderful quick, weeknight dish. My interpretation of a fiery Italian classic. A spicy and tart departure from my usual sicilian style basic tomato sauce with garlic. Best with linguine, al dente.

1 lg. can whole tomatoes, liquid/juice reserved
2 tbsp. evoo, or butter/oil mix
salt, cr. bl. pepper, 1/4 tsp. crushed fennel seeds, dash crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 med. onion, diced
3 cl. garlic, pressed, minced
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

Options:
1/2 # leftover sauteed chicken cutlets, chopped; 1 small can sliced olives; 1 small can marinated artichoke hearts

In hot oil, over med. heat, saute salted garlic and onion with fennel, bl. pepper, and red pepper for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar. Quickly scrape the fond from the pan. Add the tomato juice and stir until reduced to 1/2. Add the tomatoes and have a potato masher ready. Mash the tomatoes in the skillet (it is handy to cut open the canned tomatoes first to avoid messy squirts in the pan). Salt to taste. Reduce heat 1 notch and simmer about 20 minutes. Add chicken or other optional ingredients, if using. Cook another 5 minutes. Serve over linguine with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or better yet Pecorino-Romano.