{"id":950,"date":"2011-11-18T06:35:34","date_gmt":"2011-11-18T06:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mrsbutterfingers.com\/wp\/?p=950"},"modified":"2012-03-27T22:04:48","modified_gmt":"2012-03-27T22:04:48","slug":"how-to-make-a-great-tomato-sauce-everytime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mrsbutterfingers.com\/?p=950","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO MAKE A GREAT TOMATO SAUCE …EVERYTIME!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A few days ago I received this query from Erika.<\/p>\n

Hi \u2013 thank you for these helpful post. I didn\u2019t realize there were that many angles to a sauce and ways to correct problems.<\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019ve had trouble with is tomato pasta sauce. I\u2019ve not had much luck making recipes turn out quite right. I have tried adding salt, adding sugar, made sure it had plenty of time to simmer the flavors together, but something still doesn\u2019t seem right. What are the more common problems with making tomato sauces have a balanced flavor?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to finally nail a sauce like this, so I look forward to seeing your answer.<\/p>\n

Erika K.<\/p>\n

The answer is probably the canned tomatoes you are using.\u00a0 It’s the main ingredient for a tomato based sauce .\u00a0\u00a0 You should use the best canned tomatoes possible.\u00a0 Italian tomatoes, only tomatoes from Italy.<\/p>\n

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If your local supermarket doesn’t carry canned tomatoes from Italy you’ll find what you want at an Italian grocery store.\u00a0 Look for whole peeled tomatoes.\u00a0 Then chop-mash them yourself.\u00a0 The quality of whole peeled tomatoes is better than chopped canned tomatoes.<\/p>\n

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The very, very best canned tomatoes are San Marzano tomatoes.\u00a0 Grown in volcanic soil these tomatoes are the perfect tomatoes for lightly cooked\u00a0 sauces.\u00a0 They are generally double the price of peeled tomatoes but their superb flavor makes it all worth while.<\/p>\n

Erika is doing a lot of things right with her tomato sauces.\u00a0 Just remember if you cook your tomato sauce longer than 20 minutes the tomatoes become quite acidic.\u00a0\u00a0 That’s when you add a little sugar.\u00a0\u00a0 The tomato sauce I make for pizza, quick pasta dishes and risotto takes just 20 minutes to make. I call it a fresh tomato sauce even though I use canned tomatoes.<\/p>\n

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE<\/p>\n

2-3\u00a0 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil<\/p>\n

2 fat garlic cloves, minced<\/p>\n

chopped fresh red chili pepper or hot red pepper flakes to taste<\/p>\n

2 cups canned whole Italian tomatoes\u00a0 (roughly chop these.\u00a0\u00a0 Whole peeled Italian tomatoes are a better quality than chopped canned tomatoes.\u00a0 Hey, you can chop.)<\/p>\n

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.<\/p>\n

Add the garlic and chili pepper to a generous sized\u00a0 skillet\u00a0 with a little\u00a0 olive oil,\u00a0 and stir quickly once or twice.\u00a0 Saute the garlic over medium heat for just a couple of minutes. \u00a0 Now add the chopped canned tomatoes and all their juices, and season with salt and pepper.\u00a0 Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes and the juices have thickened, 4 to 6 minutes.\u00a0 Using a large skillet allows the tomato mixture to thicken quickly. This is what I do.\u00a0 I freeze it in portion sized containers and it is always ready to add to risotto, pizza\u00a0 or pasta.<\/p>\n

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Now that’s a good tomato sauce!!!<\/p>\n<\/div>

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