HOW TO MAKE TOMATO SAUCE
Tomato sauce is a basic ingredient in so many dishes and it gives such a nice flavor to the dish that it is necessary to learn how to make it for any home cook! The base of a tomato sauce is of course tomatoes, but they can come in different varieties. You may prefer plum tomatoes or ordinary round tomatoes depending on the way you want the dish to taste. There are also different forms of canned tomatoes available: whole or puréed, or even chopped or crushed. The best tomatoes to use are the ones whihch give most flavor and meat, and that depends on which time of the year you are making the sauce. In season plum tomatoes are probably the best choice, since they have more flesh than the ordinary tomatoes. However, if you happen to be in an off-season, canned tomatoes may actually be a better choice. You can also use tomato paste to further enhance the flavor of the sauce.
Besides tomatoes, a number of aromatic ingredients are also used. The classic ones are onions, but you can also use carrots and garlic, or celeriac. Different forms of meat, preferably smoked, will bring additional flavor to complement the tomatoes. Then, we have the herbs, for example basil or oregano, that make up the standard of the Italian way of making tomato sauces. If you like Mexican sauces, naturally you'll need to heat them up with chillies, jalapeños, or other hot ingredients.
Besides all the flavor-creating ingredients, the sauce can be thickened with either pure starch or a roux (see how to make them in our HOW TO section of this webpage).
The best pot to use for making a tomato sauce, since it is a very acidic sauce, are non-reactive metals or other materials, for example stainless steel. Also make sure that the pot is really flat and in an even contact with the stove, so you don't get any local overheating and scorching of the sauce. When you have everything ready, it is time to make the sauce!
For 1/2 liter (1 pint) of tomato sauce you will need less than 1 kg/2 lb of fresh tomatoes or about 1/2 kg/1 lb of canned tomatoes. You will also need a tablespoon of olive oil, 1 big chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves (if you wish), a handful of fresh herbs or some teaspoon of dry herbs, and salt and pepper to season with. You can also use some stock to add even more flavor to the sauce. Tomatoes need to be peeled before using, and that is easily done by making cross-shaped shallow cuts in the skin and then immersing them in boiling water for 20 seconds or so. Then, put them into cold water, let them chill down, and you should be able to remove the skin easily by just pulling it away.
Sauté the onions and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil until they sweat, for about 3 minutes on low-moderate heat. You can actually lightly brown them if you want a more "roasted" flavor. Then add the peeled and chopped tomatoes (and stock if you use it) and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, or until you feel enough flavor has set in. Add the fresh herbs at the end of cooking, or the dry herbs at the beginning of cooking. During the process you need to stir the sauce frequently so it doesn't scorch. Remember not to overcook the sauce since the flavors will start to fade! Then either purée the sauce or strain it from excessive water, depending on your preferences. Season with salt and pepper. Done!