Let me just say that while I have no problems with "1-hour"
tomato sauces I have yet to find one that is as rich and contains the depth of flavor than one that has been slow cooked for several hours. So I present, for those of you who are willing to take the time, the
recipe for
sauce that has been used by my
great-grandmother and beyond (and by me this last weekend, slightly modernized for
convenience).
2 16 oz. cans whole peeled tomatos
2 carrots
2 ribs of celery
1 onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 cup of white wine
1/4 cup of port wine
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sugar and/or balsamic vinegar
Open the cans of
tomatos and strain the
liquid, put the liquid into a
saucepan with the basil, pepper flakes, oregano, 1/4 cup of white wine, 1/8th of a cup of the port and a little salt and pepper, put this under a low flame. Seed the tomatos (seeds make the sauce
bitter, this is why whole tomatos are better than chopped or diced), it's not
vital to get ALL the seeds, but get out as many as you can. Dice the celery, carrot and onions and place in a large saute pan, sweat this in a little olive oil for a few minnutes then mash the garlic and add it to the sweat. Once the onions are
translucent, transfer the mixture into a large stock pot and add the seeded tomatos. Under low heat stir this mixture a while add the remining white and port wines and simmer. The liquid in the saucepan should have
reduced a bit, add this to the stock pot and place on very low heat, return to stir it about every half hour. Cook until everything is homogenous, the carrots should be soft, the onions should have practically disentigrated. if it's too watery remove the lid and cook it down, the reduction aids in the concentration of flavors. Once it has reduced, taste it, if it is too sweet add a bit of balsamic vinegar, if it's too acidic, add a touch of sugar, adjust salt and pepper as well. You now have a good "
chunky" tomato sauce. If you want a
smooth sauce, blast it in a food processor (it'll be too thick for a
blender), or run it through a
coarse screen. I lixe to process half of it and mix it back in with the chunks creating a "medium chunky" sauce.
This sauce is good in
lasagna, on
pizza or
pasta,
mussels,
meatballs... you name it!
A couple notes: Cooking the sauce for a long time allows the flavors to "
marry" it's this process that creates the richness and depth of flavor characteristic of slow cooked sauces, as well the addition of alcohol is also key, tomatoes have flavors that are
alcohol soluable and are only released with its introduction into the mix.
Why Canned Tomatoes?
OK, allow me to come to my own defense. I have a problem with the tomatoes found in the produce sections in most major supermarkets in the U.S. these tomatoes have been bred for durability and long shelf life, they are usually picked green, gassed into redness and often have a watered down flavor. Canned tomatoes on the other hand are usually picked fresh and processed and canned soon after picking. However, I do often use fresh tomatoes from gardens of friends and family. To prepare the tomatoes simply remove the stems and plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds, remove them and plunge them into ice water, this will allow you to easily remove the skins. Seed and quarter them, sprinkle them with a bit of salt and place them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Then follow the recipie as above.
To do this in one pot (it just takes a bit longer to cook) just skip placing the liquid into a seperate pot and after sweating the vegetables just throw in all your herbs, spices and tomatoes and wine.