Tomato Sauce
Prepared over low heat, the pork fat is used to sauté vegetables providing a tasty base. The sauce then cooks for a long time until it turns whole tomatoes into a rich, complex sauce. Voila!! Your french style tomato sauce is ready!
Equipment
- Chef Knife
- Peeler
- Sieve
- Large Pot
- Medium pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3 kg Roma Tomatoes
- 100 g Onions diced
- 50 g Carrots diced
- 50 g Celery diced
- 5 pcs Garlic clove minced
- 1 pc Bouquet garni
- 75 g Pork belly diced - save the rind
- 75 g Flour
- 30 g Tomato paste
- 1 liter Chicken stock
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
Instructions
Mise en place
- Preheat the oven 350ºF
- Bouquet garni: Parsley stalks, 1 bay leaf, 1 celery stalk, wrapped in a green leek leaf, tied with culinary string.
- Prepare mirepoix by cutting the onion, carrot and celery into medium dices - 0,8 inches/2cm.
Preparing Sauce
- In a large pot, cook the pork belly over low heat until the fat has melted.
- Add the minced garlic, mirepoix and cook over medium heat, until soft and golden, 5 minutes.
- Add the flour (singer) and cook for 3 minutes. In this step, you will make an roux using a previously added pork fat.
- Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook, 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and sugar, mixing well. Remember, the sugar is to soften the acidity of the tomatoes and not to sweeten the sauce, which should have a balanced taste, neither acidic nor sweet.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouquet garni, pork belly rind, bring to a boil, cover with lid, and transfer to the oven. Simmer for 2 hours.
- Remove from the oven and discard the rind and bouquet garni. Let cool slightly, and purée in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a sieve.
- Use immediately, keep in the fridge for 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
It is practically impossible not to have at least a few tomatoes waiting to turn into a sauce in a kitchen.
Despite being simple to prepare, tomato sauce also requires attention during the cooking process, preventing it from burning or changing the flavor or consistency.
A perfect tomato sauce is opaque, with a concentrated flavor, without bitterness, excess acidity, or sweetness, and the ingredients must be present on the palate in a subtle way.
Whether you choose Roma or San Marzano tomatoes for your recipe, both will provide full-bodied and rich flavor sauces.
Why not start thinking about your next pizza topped with your favorite ingredients? But, most importantly, with a thin layer of your best tomato sauce.
I hope this article has improved your cooking skills. To learn more, take a look at Béchamel: How to Make Classic French Creamy Sauce