In the Sixties in many traditional Italian American homes, the family woke up on Sunday mornings to the smell of garlic and simmering tomato sauce. It was a slow cook that was started by Nonna (Italian for Grandma) before the family arose. When made with meat, sometimes the process began the night before.
In the present era of fast foods, microwave cooking and getting dinner on the table quickly, this tradition might well be lost. However, with a little planning, having a pot of tomato nourishment on hand, in the fridge or frozen, can be a gift that keeps on giving in the midst of a busy week.
Are San Marzano Tomatoes the Best?
An article on The Nibble titled, San Marzano Tomatoes, states,
"Ask any chef what the best tomatoes for sauce are, and you’ll hear a unified chorus: San Marzano—a tomato so distinctive and high quality that it is the only variety that can be used for true Neapolitan pizza. While the varietal is grown in the U.S. and worldwide, it made its name as the tomato grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius."
Although, many cooks might swear by San Marzano tomatoes, it is possible to make great tasting sauce with a choice of one of the other name brands. No matter the brand, the best variety of tomatoes for making sauce are plum or Roma. The can will usually say, "plum tomatoes" or "Italian style tomatoes," or "Roma tomatoes." One should check the smaller print to make sure. Why are these the best tomatoes? They have less water and more flavor.
Fresh Tomatoes Verses Canned Tomatoes
Brian Smith in his article, How to Make a Homemade Tomato Sauce, says:
“Fresh tomatoes are obviously better than canned tomatoes. However, fresh tomatoes need to be peeled and seeded, which is a time consuming and difficult process. Most chef's, even in high end restaurants, used quality canned tomato products to reduce labor and time involved in the cooking process.”
The canned variety do make the job of cooking sauce easier; but, for the abundant tomato garden, the fresh version is a good choice. One can check the many Internet cooking sites for a multitude of fresh tomato cooking options.
Crushed Tomatoes or Whole Tomatoes?
Depending on where one shops, sometimes it's hard to find crushed tomatoes. The answer to this dilemma is the blender or food processor. Making sauce with crushed tomatoes makes for a sauce with just the right amount of texture: not too smooth and not too chunky.
Making Marinara Sauce
The term "marinara" in the U.S. refers to a tomato sauce with herbs but no meat; the term in Italy signifies a tomato sauce with seafood. The recipe below is a slow-cook tomato sauce with no meat. This is a fairly good portion of tomato sauce, about 20 cooked cups.
Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 6 - 1 lb cans of Italian style tomatoes
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 to 8 cloves of garlic sliced
- Italian Seasoning
- A stalk of Fresh Basil (if available)
- A few pinches of oregano
- Salt
- 1/2 cup of Grated Carrots (some people add sugar to help cut the acidity of the sauce. Carrots replace sugar.)
The Process:
- Get out a nice big pot. Leave lots of room for stirring. Uncooked tomatoes should only fill 2/3 of the pot.
- Cover the bottom of the pot with only enough olive oil to cover the surface of the pot. Turn heat on to medium.
- Add chopped garlic and saute until pearly white. Do not remove garlic.
- Immediately add crushed tomatoes. Stir.
- Add enough Italian seasoning to cover the surface of the sauce in the pot. Chop and add basil leaves, and oregano. Add carrots.
- Salt to taste.
- Bring the sauce to almost a boil, and then drop to a very slow simmer. Do not cover. Cook for 2 hours or more if needed, stirring often. Taste and season as needed.The process of cooking tomato sauce is best when done slowly. Why? Because there is more time for the seasonings to be absorbed. Also, there is less of a chance of burning it, which is deadly to sauce.
About Tomato Paste
The recipe above does not call for tomato paste. If the canned tomatoes are exceptionally watery, tomato paste is a good idea.
Bethany Fehlinger in her article, Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe, says, "Tomato paste helps to make a more thicker sauce quicker, especially if the cook is using more than one big can of tomatoes to make the sauce. However, it takes longer to cook! The sauce must absolutely be done before serving. It might take an extra 10 or so minutes if only used one or two big cans of tomatoes, longer if there is more sauce to be made! Use about half of a 1/4 cup for a small batch, but add about a full 1/4 cup if you have a large batch!"
Beyond the Sauce
Marinara sauce with pasta makes a great addition to any meal, and there are so many ways to use it. It can be divided into portions and frozen in air-tight containers and used at a later time during a busy week. Tomato sauce is great on pasta, with chicken, on pizza, eggplants and other vegetable dishes. It's a good base to vegetable soup. If making a red-sauce lasagna, it will come in handy. It's also delicious for bread dipping. You can even add meat to it at a later date.
Most Internet cooking sites have a multitude of ways to use tomato sauce. But, when the cook uses his/her own imagination, there is no limit to its uses. Nonna's secret to being a good cook is to trust the taste buds.
Cooked Tomatoes for a Healthy Body
Medical experts do claim the healing qualities of all kinds of cooked tomatoes, including ketchup. Sophie Braimbridge in an article, Cooked Tomatoes on Food and Wine, wrote "...foods made with cooked tomatoes (tomato paste, tomato soup, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce) and sun-dried tomatoes are more concentrated sources of lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant."
There are many opportunities for nourishment provided by a good pot of homemade tomato sauce. It's good for the body, can take cooking stress off a busy week, and it just tastes good.
Sources:
Read more at Suite101: How to Make a Homemade Tomato Sauce: A Recipe, Tips, and Variations
Read more at Suite101: Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe: Channel Inner Italian With Easy Sauce For Everything
Rita Andriello - Rita is a writer, spiritual practitioner and a teacher. She was born in New York City, and says she was raised on pasta and Italian opera. ...
