/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.12695354]

What's the secret to a tomato sauce that isn't meh? Mine is meh.

[Anonymous No.12695362]

You need to use both tomato paste and whole tomatoes. First pincé the tomato paste in oil, then add the san marzano tomatoes and puree

[Anonymous No.12695364]

>>12695354
sofrito, slowly caramelised over two hours

[Anonymous No.12695366]

>>12695362
oh and make sure to cook it down for at least 40 minutes after adding the tomatoes

[Anonymous No.12695369]

>>12695354
The right amount of anchovies or fish sauce will make it taste really savory, so try that. You could also just add more onion and garlic, most recipes don't use enough. Cook it longer to get rid of more water and concentrate the flavors. Add carrot or balsamic vinegar for a little sweetness. Try adding more butter or olive oil. A salty cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino adds lots of flavor too.

[Anonymous No.12695380]

>>12695354
Use San Marzano

[Anonymous No.12695386]

Use this recipe and never look back
https://youtu.be/JMRpmqW38Jg

[Anonymous No.12695391]

>>12695354
Start with a base of armoatics, reduce that sauce, also add plenty of garlic.

[Anonymous No.12695424]

>>12695386
>you have to buy a book to get the actual recipe
Damn it

[Anonymous No.12695433]

I seriously hope you're growing your own tomatoes

[Anonymous No.12695454]

>>12695354
Don't listen to any of these faggots. The secret is 1/2 part fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped, maybe 1 inch or 1/2 inch chunks, seeds in; 1/4 part whole canned tomatoes, whatever you like; 1/4 part aromatics, fine dice, can be shallots, onions, sweet peppers, PLUS already fully-made sauces like ketchup, fish sauce, sriracha, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, whatever the fuck you're into.

Basically, you take the finely diced aromatics, sweat them in olive oil over medium high heat, maybe 8 min, then add sauces and let it get uncomfortably tight. Like starting to caramelize and it might start burning if you're not careful. You deglaze with the fresh tomatoes and repeat, concentrating the fresh flavors. Finally, you add the canned tomatoes, smash them apart with a wooden spoon, bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and add a tsp or two of sugar or honey. Let it simmer for 30 min, then start tasting and adjusting. I like an almost imperceptible heat, and you'll need to give it a bit of salt and black pepper.

Give it a try before you knock it. It's a very bright, tangy, flavorful sauce and is very flexible with regards to ingredients. Once you get the zen of it, you can go in carrot, corn, spinach, anchovy, sardine, leek, and all kinds of directions based on what is eating good at the time.

[Anonymous No.12695460]

>>12695454
>he sweats his aromatics for 8 minutes
sounds like a pile of shit

[Anonymous No.12695478]

>>12695454
You're aiming to dissolve them completely since it's a tomato sauce. At the end there should be no identifiable bits of the aromatics left. For a fine dice of a normal onion in a normal pan, or for peppers or sun dried tomatoes, 8 minutes is about right. Fuck off faggot.

[Anonymous No.12695483]

>>12695460
Fug, I meant
>>12695460

[Anonymous No.12695486]

>>12695354
Use fresh tomatoes and a little bit of paste. Find the most delicious, ripe tomatoes you can, peel them, cut out the core and crush with your fingers, cook until liquid, add some paste. Add other ingredients at the right moment of course, depending on what type of sauce you're making.

[Anonymous No.12695487]

>>12695483
slowly caramelise some sofrito for a couple of hours, then come and tell me about your sweaty onions again.

[Anonymous No.12695586]

>>12695354
add a lot of garlic powder and fresh basil leaves

[Anonymous No.12696084]

>>12695369
This is all perfect advice, and how I make my typical "everyday" tomato sauce.
>lots of onion and garlic
>anchovies (add them when the onions get soft, and break them up with your spoon as they cook with the onions, they'll basically dissolve into the onions)
>Once the sauce is ready to simmer, I add a parmesan rind
>I let it simmer for at least an hour, really let the flavors blend and concentrate
>Once the sauce is done simmering, I taste it, and usually add between 2 - 3 tablespoons of balsamic to finish it out, it really balances the sauce. Let it simmer another five minutes or so after adding the vinegar to let it cook into the sauce.

[Anonymous No.12696094]

>>12695354
msg

[Anonymous No.12696704]

>>12695354

[Anonymous No.12697770]

>>12695354
Slow cook it in a dutch oven in the oven for a least 4 hours, ideally 5-6, the acidic flavor goes away and is replaced by a savory, slightly sweet flavor.

[Anonymous No.12698044]

>>12695354
A little bit of vinegar.

[Anonymous No.12698171]

>>12695354
Mine is flavorful and amazing

Fresh garlic clove smashed
>fresh basil, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary.
Cook all in pot with olive oil first before any sauce is added.
>cook them until the herbs smell is very strong
>add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Use only the tall tomatoe speacies that are normally used in sauces.

[Anonymous No.12698176]

>>12696704
absolutely fucking not

[Anonymous No.12698183]

>Dad had the best tomato sauce in the world
>seriously the greatest ive ever had
>we would always make big batches together so i never wrote it down
>he died a few years ago
>never found the recipe

i'd give anything bros...

[Anonymous No.12698186]

Butter, tomato paste, anchovy paste, red wine, and lots of time.

[Anonymous No.12698264]

>>12695354
Depends for what. There are many types of tomato sauces do you mean you want to preserve the very red color? Not all sauce tomatoes have to be intense red. Some people sun dry them others roast them prior to usage. The. Fry them with a little bit of oil and garlic. You just have to chose the high quality ones not all plum tomatoes are the same. A good marinara is balanced. Salt and sugar.

[Anonymous No.12698269]

>>12698183
same but with growing tomatoes. I've looked at tons of guides online and have been getting advice from /out/ for years now but they just don't get as big, red, or juicy. I wish I could spend one more day with him

[Anonymous No.12698280]

>>12698269
They always advice to get San Marzano. But there are many other varieties that are just as good or perhaps even better. Then again there are perhaps hundreds of varieties of san marzano. Just don’t get varieties for slicing and you’re on the good. Best sauce I’ve made were with cherry tomatoes. It gets expensive.

[Anonymous No.12698338]

>>12695354
a few kg of tomatoes caramelized in the oven then mushed up and simmered for a few hours with some herbs, salt and pepper, as well as a can of tomatoes. Make sure you simmer it for at least 3 hours then using a blender blend it into a sauce.

[Anonymous No.12698348]

sugar

[Anonymous No.12700089]

>>12695354
Canned san marzano tomatoes and butter

[Anonymous No.12700098]

>>12695354
Good tomatoes.

[Anonymous No.12700104]

>>12695354
As per growing:
You'd be surprised what some coffee grounds and egg shells will do when mixing it into the soil. Give plenty of water, but not so much you end up with a water balloon.

Serving: Salt awakens a Tomato to the same level as awakens a Potato. If you serve Tomatoes without salt or salt based dressing, then you are doing it incorrectly. If you want a hydrator to your dish, use a cucumber instead, cheaper and easier as per grow bulk.

[Anonymous No.12700133]

>>12700104
Ah, I am the big retard. OP asked for sauce.

Hmm.

Its about texture, consistency, and spice.

Use a ratio of 85-15 tomato puree (not whipped or liquified) as your starter base. Salt, little bit of White Sugar, little bit of Brown sugar, Garlic, Pepper, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Cumin, ground Clove, Onion zest, oregano. The trick is to mix an even amount of Earth and Water together to slightly highlight the Earth more than Water, but keeping a good happy consistency.

Sauce is essentially, an additive and not a meal unto itself. It needs to compliment the dish, not overpower it, unless the dish being served is a humble one that is pronounced by its sauce.

Like "Basic Bitch Pasgetti from a box." Your basic bitch Pasgetti is a humble and tasteless dish that has little confidence to stand on its own, and thus a good sauce is needed for it to be attractive, much like a fat woman with a Mumu. However, if you are cooking a meal that is hearty and rich like a Baked Ziti, the sauce needs to be mellowed a bit to amplify, but not overshadow the taste and texture of the rest of the dish, much like the fashinable, yet beta fag husband of an overconfident business woman.