Foodie

[dancerjodi]

So how do you make from scratch tomato sauce?

The reason I used Alton's kind of weird recipie (slice roma tomatoes in half, put cut side down on a pan, bake in oven for 2.5 hrs w/ goodies sprinked over and then mill/mush, add white wine, cook off wine for a bit) was because all of the recipies I could find online called for canned tomatoes. I wasn't sure how to get the tomato out of the tomato, you know? I come from a hamburger helper family, so this stuff is new to me! :)

The things were smelling pretty good last night after an hour but BOY did they get overcooked. Burned tomatoes produce a horrible smell. I even put the hot oregano from our herb garden in there! Ah well. We'll see how the pumpkin soup experiment goes tonight.

I feel like a defective Italian or something. At least I can make good pizelles!

Off to get some things I need for or before Dragoncon . . .

Comments

those kooky Frenchies and their techniques

[xany.livejournal.com]

canned tomatoes are canned at the height of freshness, and are idea for the 10-or-so monthsof the year that you can't get really fresh tomatoes.

that said, to make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, the best way to begin is with a technique called "tomato concasse". it sounds fancy, but all it really means is "skinless, seedless tomatoes". the skins are undigestable, and the seeds can be bitter, so eliminating these will make any sauce better both in flavor and consistency.

simply put a pot of water on to boil, and set up a bowl of ice water next to it. remove the stem/core, and cut a small X in the skin on the bottom of each tomato. drop the tomatoes 2 or 3 at a time into the boiling water (depending on the size of your pot - you never want the water to come off the boil). leave the tomatoes in the water for 15-30 seconds, or until you see the skin just starting to peel away from where you scored the bottoms.

NOTE: you are not cooking the tomatoes at this point! you are simply getting the skin to pull back from the flesh for easy removal.

remove the tomatoes from the pot, and submerge in ice wayer for a few seconds. remove from ice water, peel off the skins, slice the tomatoes in half (imagine cutting along the equator), and squeeze out the seeds.

now, you're ready to make tomato sauce, veggie stock, or any of a hundred different applications!

to make a tomato sauce, simply toss the tomato flesh in a pot, add olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, and simmer over low heat, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon (for a rustic approach) or a stick blender (for a more uniform consistency). add a small splash of white wine or vodka [1], let it cook out, and serve.

you can also add some tomato paste to add more depth and richness to the sauce.

[1] I know neither of you drink, but please consider adding just a nip's worth of vodka. it will cook out. however there are flavor compounds in tomatoes that are alcohol-soluable and not water-soluable, so you really will extract the most flavor possible by doing this. it's not a huge deal if you don't, but it is highly recommended.

Re: those kooky Frenchies and their techniques

[cris.livejournal.com]

just backing up Xany to say that this is almost the same technique that I use for making tomato sauce. The extra time required to skin and seed the tomatoes isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, and it does work rather well for consistency if you don't have a food mill. The only change that I make is chopping up the tomato flesh after seeding and before adding to the point to get a slightly smoother consistency without using a blender.