{"id":4260,"date":"2022-02-21T10:18:38","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T15:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/?p=4260"},"modified":"2022-02-21T10:18:41","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T15:18:41","slug":"how-to-make-excellent-tomato-sauce-just-as-they-do-in-italy-including-the-ingredient-you-cant-skimp-on-to-bring-it-all-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/21\/how-to-make-excellent-tomato-sauce-just-as-they-do-in-italy-including-the-ingredient-you-cant-skimp-on-to-bring-it-all-together\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make excellent tomato sauce, just as they do in Italy \u2014 including the ingredient you can\u2019t skimp on to bring it all together"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Minchilli, author of the cookbook \u201cThe Italian Table,\u201d shares her tips for a foolproof pomodoro.<\/h3>

Toronto Star – When you make a purchase through the links in this article, we may earn a small commission.\u202fOur journalism is independent and not influenced by advertising.\u202f<\/em>Learn more<\/a>\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/p>

Pasta is a simple pleasure, especially when you\u2019re not in the mood for elaborate cooking. Just add a nice, thick red sauce and you have a perfectly satisfying dinner. But if there\u2019s one thing that Rome-based food writer Elizabeth Minchilli wants you to know about red sauce, it\u2019s that, well, it\u2019s not really a thing in Italy.<\/p>

\u201cIn North America, when people say \u2018red sauce,\u2019 it could have meat in it, or mushrooms in it. It can just be anything,\u201d says the author of \u201cThe Italian Table<\/a>,\u201d a cookbook of homestyle Italian recipes fit for entertaining.<\/p>

In reality, there isn\u2019t just one<\/em> single authentic red sauce. Instead, there\u2019s an array of tomato-based sauces Italians love putting on pasta, from marinara to spicy arrabbiata. Here, Minchilli shares her recipe for an effortless yet authentic pomodoro.<\/p>

Be choosy with your tomatoes<\/strong><\/p>

The biggest mistake you can make with any red sauce, says Minchilli, is using unripe, out-of-season tomatoes. Use only fresh, locally grown tomatoes when they\u2019re in season where you live (something meaty, like San Marzano tomatoes, is best, because they hold less water) and any other time, stick to the canned stuff \u2014 imported-from-Italy options if accessible. Read the packaging to ensure the fruit was grown in the country, not just canned there, recommends Minchilli, who\u2019s partial to pelati (whole-peeled plum) and sweet San Marzano tomatoes.<\/p>

Don\u2019t skimp on olive oil<\/strong><\/p>

When someone complains to Minchilli about the flavour of their sauce, she knows it\u2019s usually down to bland tomatoes or meagre olive oil. Most tomato sauce recipes will call for a generous amount of high-quality olive oil (again, preferably from Italy), something a lot of home chefs will instinctively try to reduce. But the amount is non-negotiable, says Minchilli. \u201cAll that olive oil is what actually makes a sauce,\u201d she says. \u201cIt acts as an emulsifier and helps the sauce cling to the pasta, and it lends a lot of flavour.\u201d<\/p>

Try the roasting method<\/strong><\/p>

If all you have are not-quite-in-season tomatoes, Minchilli recommends roasting them for more intense flavour. Most types of sweet plum tomatoes will work as long as they have no green \u2014 just keep an eye on them in the oven, because cook times will vary.<\/p>

Cut your tomatoes in half and lay them on a baking sheet. Coat evenly in olive oil, oregano and salt, pop them in the oven at 350\u00b0F (180\u00b0C) and let them cook for up to an hour, \u201cuntil they start to lose their liquid\u201d and brown. Once cooled, remove the skin and break them up with a fork for a jammy consistency. From there, you can serve as is, or use the roasted tomatoes to make a traditional stovetop sauce, or freeze them to use in a sauce later.<\/p>

Keep your sauce simple<\/strong>SKIP ADVERTISEMENT<\/a><\/p>

One of Minchilli\u2019s go-to tomato sauces is a simple yet rich pomodoro, made in an almost \u201cwoklike\u201d saut\u00e9 pan. Pour 1\/4 cup of olive oil into a cold pan and add three or four cloves of garlic (chopped or whole, sightly crushed) and a dash of red pepper flakes if you want \u201ca little bite.\u201d<\/p>

Put on medium heat until you start to smell the garlic, then add one 16-ounce can of tomatoes with the liquid they\u2019re in. (Remove the garlic cloves if you kept them whole.) Turn up the heat to help the ingredients meld, using the back of a spoon to crush the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and let cook until thickened, about 15 minutes.<\/p>

Some people also like to add Parmesan or pecorino directly into it, but Minchilli prefers to let everyone top their pasta with as much cheese as they want, so they can truly taste the tomato in an excellent sauce.<\/p>

Read more here<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Minchilli, author of the cookbook \u201cThe Italian Table,\u201d shares her tips for a foolproof pomodoro. Toronto Star – When you make a purchase through the links in this article,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[745],"class_list":{"0":"post-4260","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-tomato-sauce"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/tomato_sauce_credit_anshu_a_unsplash-1.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4262,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4260\/revisions\/4262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}