Classic slow-cooked tomato sauce

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Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
None

Directions

Use fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes. Plum tomatoes are preferred because they have a higher proportion of flesh to seed and are less watery and more meaty than regular slicing tomatoes. Because plum tomatoes have relatively few seeds don't bother to seed them. Do seed slicing tomatoes or your sauce will be watery and bitter.

When using fresh tomatoes, the first step is to remove their skins.

If you have a food mill, simply pass the tomatoes through it. The mill will trap the skins and puree the pulp. If not, here's how to do it:

1. Remove the cores and score an X in the bottom of each tomato.

2. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water. When the skins start to pull away, they're ready to peel.

3. Transfer the tomatoes to a cold-water bath to stop the cooking; then simply peel away the skins.

4. Halve the tomatoes and gently squeeze out the seeds. Coax out remaining seeds with your fingers. After the tomatoes are peeled, chop them coarsely before pureeing them in a blender or food processor.

If you don't have access to perfectly ripe tomatoes, use canned tomatoes. Experiment with different brands to see which you prefer.

Don't use canned pureed tomatoes; they'll change the taste of your sauce for the worse. Buy canned whole tomatoes, drain off some of the liquid, and puree them yourself.

Your onions and garlic should also be fresh. Don't substitute dehydrated onion flakes or jarred minced garlic. If the garlic is old, remove the green core, which can make your sauce taste bitter.

Use a good olive oil, but not extra-virgin; the flavor is lost when heated.

Use dried herbs; they give the sauce better flavor. Parsley is an exception, fresh parsley is always best. Smell your herbs before you use them; a strong aroma hints at a strong flavor. Replace old dried herbs that have lost their potency.

Add dried herbs at the beginning of the cooking process so their flavors can soften and perfume the sauce. The taste of fresh herbs is more fragile; stir them in just before you remove the sauce from the stove, as cooking diminishes their flavor.

Time is the key to a flavorful tomato sauce, and this applies to saut‚ing the onions as well. Cook them slowly over low heat and they'll be mild and sweet. Sauteed quickly over medium-high heat, the onions will have a more robust flavor and so will your sauce. Take care not to let the onion or garlic burn. Saute the onion first, then add the garlic and cook just until it releases its aroma before adding the remaining ingredients.

Cook the sauce at a constant simmer; never let it boil. If your sauce boils no matter how low the heat, remove the pot from the stove and let it cool for 15-20 minutes before continuing cooking.

The acid balance of the sauce is a matter of taste; therefore there is no exact amount of sugar to add. Taste your sauce when it is finished; if you find it too acidic, add sugar, 1 tsp at a time, until the flavor suits your taste.

Determining when the sauce is finished is also a matter of taste. When you're happy with the flavor and consistency, consider it done. A general rule is to reduce it to one-third of its original volume; this can take between 2½ to 3 ½ hours.

Fine Cooking

Aug-Sept 1995

Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 11-11-95

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