Real Tomato Sauce
During most of the year, I make tomato sauce with canned tomatoes, a combination of stewed tomatoes (15 fluid oz.) and tomato paste (5 fluid oz.). Most chefs and nutritionists will tell you, canned tomatoes are good. Many chefs make tomato sauce from cans. But when I see and smell thin skinned vine tomatoes, I have an itch to make sauce with real tomatoes. Its more time consuming but I believe the results are worth it.
There isn't any recipe for tomato sauce its all by taste and look. It's all how you like it.
What to put in a tomato sauce :
- one large Spanish white onion
- 2 bulbs crushed garlic
- about 4 to 8 plump fresh thin skinned tomatoes - vine are best
- fresh Italian basil - to taste
- sugar - to taste
- soya sauce - to taste
- herbs and spices you like, in quantities you like
- red wine optional and to taste
Just as with so much cooking, it starts with sauté onions. I like Spanish white onions. Peel and chop up a big one. Pour about one tablespoon olive oil into the saucepan, at high medium, wait for it to get hot. Sauté the onions until golden brown. Turn it down to medium. Add crushed fresh garlic and stir for about a minute.
Peel the tomatoes. Add them to the onions and garlic. Stir for around five minutes. Add chopped fresh basil. Put the heat down simmer. Taste, if it's a bit tart add sugar and soya sauce. Keep on tasting and add more sugar or/& soya sauce until you think its right. If you're not sure ask others. How long you do this is up to you. The longer, the better. This is a slow cooking recipe, so its all up to you how long you want to do it. You may want to add water.
You may want to add oregano, cumin or/& nutmeg. Red wine also works. Have a bit wine yourself and add a bit to the sauce, after all you're going to be there for awhile and you need to relax. Its always best to make tomato sauce with someone else.
I usually add a small can (5 fluid oz) of tomato paste for a thicker sauce. If you do that add about a cup of water.
Just before serving, put the temperature up to high and keep on stirring for about 2 minutes as a safety precaution!
Options to add to the sauce
- tomato paste (5 fluid oz)
- Italian seasoning
- Oregano, rosemary, thyme
- a pinch of cumin or/& nutmeg
- a pinch of chili
- ground fried beef, lamb or turkey (spicing will vary, lamb and beef need less spicing than turkey. Lamb usually needs less spicing than beef. Cumin and rosemary is great with lamb.)
- mushrooms
- red or orange peeled bell peppers
- grated cheese - parmesan or mozzarella (usually add this at the end or just before serving)
- red wine
- Look at what's in the fridge, your spice rack, then taste and experiment!
Serve on pasta, bread or polenta.
For great places to buy wonderful tomatoes try the Gourmet page by Jacqueline Church and her article The Well Travelled Tomato
Want to know something about the history of the tomato, how it was once considered poison? Read Mary Trotter Kion's article Tomatos President Jefferson's Love Apple
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