Tomato sauce is one of those things that is worshiped by some and mindlessly eaten out of a can or jar for others. While I have nothing against some (emphasis on SOME) jarred tomato sauces, there is something so satisfactory about making your own. It’s a lot less expensive, and you can adjust the sauce to cater to your own tastes.
A lot of people try to follow a recipe for tomato sauce, but the best, and less daunting way to approach this Italian classic is through an outline of sorts.
1. Tomatoes
First of all, are you going to use canned or whole tomatoes? Your decision will affect the method you will use.
Either way is fine: my mother swears by San Marzano canned tomatoes and never makes her sauce with fresh, but even if you can’t afford San Marzano, regular canned, whole tomatoes (with no added flavoring) are great, even better than fresh tomatoes when they’re not in season.
However, if fresh tomatoes are in season, you may want to use those, and fresh tomatoes may take a bit more preparation.
2. Method
For the preparation of fresh tomatoes for tomato sauce, I’ve heard it done two ways: firstly, you can score the bottoms of the tomatoes (make an X about an inch long in the bottoms), quickly drop them into boiling water, remove them into cold water after a minute, and then remove the skins. Now the tomatoes can be used as canned tomatoes would be.
To make tomato sauce from either these prepared fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, simply heat some fat (olive oil, butter, bacon or sausage grease, or some combination) in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot. When the fat is heated, add your aromatic vegetables (see below) and sweat (cook over medium-low heat until the veggies are cooked and transparent, but not browned.) Add your spices (not your herbs) as well as some salt, and cook for one minute to release the flavors. Add the tomatoes and herbs, and cook for about an hour. Use an immersion blender to achieve a more fluid consistency, or simply use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes and serve the sauce as more of a chunky, rustic dish.
This is my go-to method in the winter. It is a fine recipe (and the best method for canned tomatoes), however my preference for fresh tomato sauce is roasting: roasting tomatoes (along with aromatics like onions and garlic, which I’ll address in a minute) concentrates their flavors and brings an element to the sauce that is impossible to achieve in any other way. In the summer, my favorite tomato sauce is simply roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic with a little bit of olive oil and salt. When the mixture comes out of the oven, I use my immersion blender to achieve the correct consistency, and I mix in some salt and dried basil for flavor.
3. Aromatics
I’ve already addressed this slightly in the above paragraph, but it deserves a section of its own. What makes a great tomato sauce special isn’t just the tomatoes, but the aromatics added to them. Traditionally, onions and/or garlic can both play a role (some purists claim that onions and garlic should not both be in the same tomato sauce, but I’ve always made it that way, and I’m not changing my mind now.)
Other aromatics that can make their way into your tomato sauce are carrots, which add another dimension of sweetness, and celery, which, when combined with carrots and onions, makes up the Italian trifecta of vegetables known as soffrito (a sort of Italian version of the French mirepoix). Any and all of these veggies can make an appearance in your sauce, depending on what you like. Traditionally, celery is reserved for meat-based sauces, while the other three can appear even in a regular tomato sauce.
4. Herbs and Spices
Salt, of course, is number one in tomato sauce. Tomatoes just don’t taste like tomatoes without a bit of salt.
Aside from salt, though, what other spices and herbs can appear in tomato sauce?
Both black and red pepper bring a nice heat and spiciness to the sauce, but in different ways. I use a little bit of both in my sauce. I also sometimes cook some red pepper in a bit of olive oil and add a ladleful of my regular old tomato sauce to make a quick and easy version of an arabbiata, or spicy tomato sauce.
As far as herbs are concerned, both basil and oregano are traditional parts of Italian tomato sauces. I like to use the dried versions, reserving fresh for dishes like pesto, where the fresh truly make a difference. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, feel free to use fresh basil, but stick with dried oregano: the flavor is usually better.
Oregano is what makes pizza sauce taste different from regular tomato sauce: if you like that pizza sauce flavor and can’t figure out the missing ingredient in your homemade sauce, 9/10 times, what you’re missing is oregano. I usually don’t use it in my pasta sauce, but some people like the taste.
5. Extras
Other additional ingredients include tomato paste and sugar. Both ingredients are intended to strengthen the tomato flavor and cut the acidity of the tomatoes. If you’re using canned tomatoes, have a taste: they may taste a bit tinny, and sugar should take care of this problem. If your tomatoes are fresh, however, or the tinned tomatoes are of high quality, you can skip this ingredient.
I nearly always throw in a little extra tomato paste, for an extra kick of flavor, but this step is not on everyone’s list, and it can be skipped if you like.
Tomato sauce can be stored up to one week in your fridge, or up to a month in the freezer. Alternately, you can can the sauce and store it in your pantry for a year.