RCP: Let's talk tomato sauce!

I agree with you both that carrots would add a nice touch to tomato sauce, adding a little more complexity to the flavor. I actually made an iteration of this sauce the other day in which I added a couple of green peppers to the recipe, and that was nice, too.

Bottom line, though, and the thought I had in mind when I posted this, was a simple, pure recipe that didn't add much to the delicious peak-of-summer tomatoes at all. A little garlic and onion, a little basil, but mostly just perfectly ripe tomatoes with minimal handling and just enough heat to soften them. Carrots, sure, another time. Roasting or extended simmering to gain caramelization? Good enough when you're stuck with winter tomatoes. But those didn't take me where I wanted to go with these ripe summer beauties.

Robin, the line that I bolded in your post begs a question. When you say just enough heat to soften, would you explain how long and what amount of heat you use. I make the Marcela Hazan recipe using only fresh tomatoes (where she advocates a can of) and I add butter and an onion as she advises. I did a batch today but I cooked them rather a long time until the toms were chunky as were the onions. I simmered them for probably three hours, because I wanted the juice to cook down and didn't want enough heat to cause a problem taste wise. How much juice do the toms give off in your recipe?

[Robin Garr]

Bob, it's really one of those things that you just have to eyeball, because it depends on the tomatoes. Variety and whether it's rained recently, most likely. Some are "wetter" than others. Bottom line, though, the target is minimalist intervention. I just get them soft enough to process through the Foley, and that's generally maybe 15 minutes at medium heat followed by letting them sit in their own hot juices until they cool down enough to mill without being uncomfortable.

As for the butter, I love Marcella and Marcella loves her butter, but since I want that purity of flavor anyway, I'd rather stick with tomato flavor, sacrifice the admittedly good flavor of butter, and save myself a few calories so I don't have to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes.

Robin, the line that I bolded in your post begs a question. When you say just enough heat to soften, would you explain how long and what amount of heat you use. I make the Marcela Hazan recipe using only fresh tomatoes (where she advocates a can of) and I add butter and an onion as she advises. I did a batch today but I cooked them rather a long time until the toms were chunky as were the onions. I simmered them for probably three hours, because I wanted the juice to cook down and didn't want enough heat to cause a problem taste wise. How much juice do the toms give off in your recipe?

Bob wrote;
IMO canning fruit and veggies is THE way to go, however one needs to can them under pressure in order to be assured of killing any little nasties left.

Absolutely Bob for tomatoes we use the “water bath” canning method, we let the mason jar cool down and “listen” or inspect to make sure the lid got sucked down.

Salute

Right at the end of the season when I was executive chef at Mudd's we would "can' (Mason jars) about 250 quarts from our own garden.