Tomato Sauce

Course: sauces

Cuisine: French

Keyword: mother sauces

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 3

Servings: qt/L

Calories: 30kcal

Cost: $25

One of Five Mother Sauces

Fresh and ripe tomatoes are a prime example of an ingredient that can take your cooking to the next level. One technique that really allows the flavors of fresh and ripe tomatoes to shine is concentrating them. To concentrate the flavors of fresh tomatoes, start by selecting the best quality tomatoes you can find. Tomatoes are best picked from mid-July through the end of August. Look for beefsteak tomatoes, Roma tomatoes or grape tomatoes that are plump, firm, and deeply colored, as these are signs of ripeness and flavor. Tomato sauce can be made using a mix of fresh tomatoes and best canned tomatoes from Italy.

When cooking with tomatoes, it's essential to keep their vibrant red color from turning orange due to oxidation when exposed to air. To preserve the original hue, consider passing the tomatoes through a food mill before or after cooking. This technique helps maintain the bright red appearance of the tomatoes in your dishes. For a smooth and refined texture, the tomato sauce can be blended and sieved. This process helps remove any seeds or skin, resulting in a velvety sauce but will change the color. Great for soups, meat balls, fish, and cooked vegetables but not for pizzas.
Wash tomatoes. Prepare your tomatoes by removing the core and slicing them in half.
Place the tomato halves cut side up on 2 rimmed baking sheets without parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil, and season them with salt, pepper, sugar, herbs and crushed garlic.

Preheat fan oven to 400ºF/225ºC. Roast tomatoes for about an hour (carefully remove excess water released during cooking and save the liquid). Peel off tomatoes. Discard garlic peelings and herbs. Place roasted tomatoes flesh and garlic in a large bowl. Scrape out any bits left on the baking sheets and add it to the mixture.

Pass roasted tomatoes and garlic through the food mill. Meanwhile, in the saucepan heat up olive oil and throw in fresh basil. Cook a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add to the tomato sauce, and cook for 2 hours on medium heat stirring every so often. Readjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Let cool the sauce on the stove overnight.

Sweat onions in olive oil on medium heat for 10 minutes without giving any color. Deglaze with wine and reduce to dry.
Add chicken stock or use the tomato water that has been saved during roasting. Add tomato sauce and cook for approximately 15 minutes.
Blend tomato sauce and pass through the chinois. Cook again for a few minutes and readjust seasoning if needed.

Refrigerate tomato sauce for up to 4 days or store in the freezer for six months in sealed deli containers or vacuum-sealed. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Prepare a large stockpot with a canning rack and jars. Fill jars with water, cover and bring to boil. Carefully, remove and empty jars using a canning jar lifter. Arrange jars over countertop lined with a kitchen towel. Fill up jar according canning instructions and clean up any sauce residue remaining on the jar rim using clean paper towel moisturized with hot water. Put lids on (no need to boil prior using) and tight up with the ring. Lids can be used once while rings many times. Rings need to be tight but certainly not cranked on as hard as possible. Place filled jars in can lifter and lower jars into water. Make sure water covers jars by 1 to 2-inch/5cm. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 40 minutes on a slow boil. Lift canning rack, and carefully transfer jars on cutting board lined with a kitchen towel. Let cool 18 hours undisturbed. Label and date lids and store for up to 12 months.

To start, you'll need to soak gelatin in cold water to soften it, and then drain off any excess liquid. Meanwhile, season your tomato water with a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor. Next, bring the seasoned tomato water to a gentle boil. Once it reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and gradually whisk in the softened gelatin. To set your tomato jelly, line a rimmed container with an open freezer bag to allow for easy removal later on. Carefully pour the hot tomato mixture into the prepared container and allow it to cool slightly before placing it in the refrigerator overnight. Once set, you can cut it into various shapes and sizes to suit your culinary needs. From adding a touch of sophistication to Bloody Mary cocktails to using it as a flavorful topping for salads, seafood dishes, or even pâtés, etc...

Pass drained tomatoes through the food mill. Add the herbs, cheese and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Add more parmigiano and some of the saved tomato juice to the sauce until desired consistency is reached.

In an oven proof sautoir, heat up olive oil and sear eggplant slices on both sides on medium-high heat. Toss in remaining ingredients, add water and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pop the pan in the oven, and roast for 40 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC flipping veggies twice during cooking. Then toss in tomato sauce and bake for an additional 25 minutes. For a better caramelizing effect, increase oven temp to 425ºF/220ºF. Enjoy!

Serving: 100g | Calories: 30kcal