Perfect Pasta/Pizza Sauce

It’s been five years since my first attempt at tomato sauce flopped.

From there on it only went downhill. I tried it all; peeled/unpeeled tomatoes, chopped vs whole, long simmered, roasted, boiled, with/without water, all kinds of herbs and spices… I could go on for a while but then you’ll get bored and leave without getting to the actual recipe. So I’ll stop now.

Anyway, this is what I’ve learned: the best things in life are simple, straightforward and uncomplicated. We (you know, human beings) are just programmed to mistrust anything that seems too good to be true.

Deep, huh?

I’m not even going to give exact amounts because it really depends on individual taste. You might like more or less of whatever ingredient and I don’t want to stand in your way.

Make this sauce, peels and all. You won’t be sorry.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes
Olive oil
Garlic
Sugar
Basil
Salt and pepper
Herbs (oregano, rosemary… whatever you like)

Directions:

Give your tomatoes a whir in the food processor or just roughly chop them into smallish pieces.

Chop up the garlic. Lots and lots of garlic. Go ahead, don’t be scared.

I’ve discovered that I don’t really like the taste of extra virgin olive oil, so I started using blended olive oil in dishes that call for it. It gives just a touch of flavour without overwhelming the dish.

Sauté the garlic until it begins to give off that first whiff of garlicky scent. Take care not to burn it.

Add the tomatoes.

I added the salt, pepper, sugar and herbs at this point. But next time I think I’ll add them at the end so I can taste test better.

Now let it reduce. And reduce. And reduce some more.

When you have around five minutes to go, throw in a couple of fresh basil leaves.

Now puree in the blender.

And there you have it.

Call it pasta sauce, lather it on pizza or dip mozzarella sticks into it.

Extra tips:

– Season the sauce later on right before you puree it and do lots of tasting.
– If you like a chunkier sauce, you can puree half the tomatoes and leave the rest as it is then mix them up.
– I used Herbs de Provence here. Buy some, use it for this sauce and you’ll find yourself using in practically everything else you make.

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Perfect Pizza/Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Sugar
• Basil
• Salt and pepper
• Herbs oregano, rosemary… whatever you like

Instructions

1. Give your tomatoes a whir in the food processor or just roughly chop them into smallish pieces.
2. Chop up the garlic. Lots and lots of garlic. Go ahead, don’t be scared.
3. I’ve discovered that I don’t really like the taste of extra virgin olive oil, so I started using blended olive oil in dishes that call for it. It gives just a touch of flavour without overwhelming the dish.
4. Sauté the garlic until it begins to give off that first whiff of garlicky scent. Take care not to burn it.
5. Add the tomatoes.
6. I added the salt, pepper, sugar and herbs at this point. But next time I think I’ll add them at the end so I can taste test better.
7. Now let it reduce. And reduce. And reduce some more.
8. When you have around five minutes to go, throw in a couple of fresh basil leaves.
9. Now puree in the blender.
10. And there you have it.
11. Call it pasta sauce, lather it on pizza or dip mozzarella sticks into it.

Extra tips:

1. - Season the sauce later on right before you puree it and do lots of tasting.
2. - If you like a chunkier sauce, you can puree half the tomatoes and leave the rest as it is then mix them up.
3. - I used Herbs de Provence here. Buy some, use it for this sauce and you’ll find yourself using in practically everything else you make.