too-may-toe, too-ma-toe, tomato sauce

Tomato sauce, one of the official members of the haute five since Auguste Escoffier’s interpretations of the mother sauces, is one of those most basic and most necessary to conquer. It is the underlying source of so many beautiful dishes. If you can make a good tomato sauce, you are well on your way towards delicious pastas, pizzas, soups, and myriads more.

If you are still buying your tomato sauce in a jar, this recipe is a must for you. Have you ever tasted that stuff right out of the jar and actually liked it? DIY it and not only can you make it perfectly to your tastes, but perfectly suited to your meals as well. So, that’s what we’re going to do.

Good tomatoes are naturally quite sweet, but leaving them in a can gives them tartness as time progresses. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s something to keep in mind later when we balance the flavors. First of all - and this should be obvious – a tomato sauce can only be as good as its tomatoes. That’s why I rather heartily demand that you find Italian canned tomatoes and accept no substitutes. The Italians know how to take care of their tomatoes. Oftentimes, those canned tomatoes are better than what I can get fresh locally, so don’t think badly of them just for being in a can. Also here’s a tip – don’t be fooled by labels advertising “Italian-style” tomatoes, check for the “prodotto in Italia” – make sure that they’re actually tomatoes grown in Italy.

 
The tartness in the canned tomatoes has to be balanced, but with what? You might think of adding sugar as a sweetener to combat the sourness, but I prefer to use that tartness to our advantage rather than counter-attack against it like it’s some kind of bad flavor. Garlic, and the richness that garlic contains, will do most of the work for us here. Frying the garlic in the pan a bit before adding your tomatoes is just what gives a great balance to the sour notes within.

The other trick is using whole tomatoes. If you want a really smooth sauce, feel free to blend and strain it after making, but make it first. I’m convinced this creates a richer something, and the tinny flavor seems less infused in the tomatoes packed this way. You can add anything to this either during or after it has been created to make it fit your style, so give this a shot.