Basic slow tomato sauce
Yields about 4 generous servings.
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Simmer these together until the garlic barely starts to turn brown, then remove and discard the garlic.
If you're worried the pan is very hot and will splatter, let it cool now. Add:
- 26 oz (750 g) box Pomi strained tomatoes
- ⅔ cup dry white wine (something with nice floral/fruity notes is very good)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. table salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 4 medium-large basil leaves, whole
Stir everything together. Bring it to a simmer and cook gently until most of the alcohol is gone (sniffing it no longer feels like huffing cleanser). If it bubbles too violently to do this, mix in some water.
Once the wine is cooked down, cover the pan and cook on low for several hours. The acidity of the tomatoes and wine will diminish over this time. You'll know it's done when it is rich and delicious and no longer sharp tasting.
If it cooks and it cooks and it just won't mellow out, you can add ¼ to ½ tsp of baking soda, stir it in, wait 5 minutes, stir again and taste. This will neutralize a bit of the acid. Don't taste it during those five minutes or you will regret it, carbonated tomato sauce is disgusting. And whatever you do, do not add sugar.
Tips
- Use the wine to rinse out the tomato box to get every last drop.
- When adding the tomatoes, tilt the pan to one side so the olive oil pools, then pour the tomatoes onto the dry part so they slide under the oil. This reduces splattering.
- If you can't get the strained tomatoes, use the more common chopped variety, and hold back the basil until you have blended the sauce smooth with an immersion blender.
- The brand of tomatoes is pretty imporant to the overall flavor. I was trying to emulate the sauce from an old restaurant I grew up near. If you don't care about having the same exact flavor as mine, sub something else, but keep it good quality. This is mostly tomatoes, so if you start with crap, you'll end up with crap.
Last modified: Sat Feb 19 17:30:23 MST 2022.
Converted from recipes/basic_slow_tomato.md.
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