how do you make your tomato sauce

13 years ago

Hi everyone,

This is my first year attempting to make tomato sauce (pasta sauce). After advice on how to use my kitchenaid food strainer from folks on the site, and reading different posts, I decided to attempt my first batch. I am using San Marzano and Roma tomatoes. I decided to roast the tomatoes with olive oil, fresh basil, salt, pepper and whole garlic cloves, then process them through the food strainer. Well, while the tomatoes where in the oven, it occurred to me that the basil and garlic would probably get strained out during processing, duh! So, after cooking the tomatoes at 400 for 1 hours, I processed. The resulting sauce wasn't too thin, but thin enough that tomorrow I will cook it down some, But, I didn't think it tasted that good. It was on the bitter side, with not much flavor except tomato. So, any suggestions?? Any ideas for how to process my next batch?? I am planning on freezing the sauce rather than canning (I'm not ready for canning, nor do I have a canner, yet). I'd love to hear how people make their sauce. Also, any suggestions on how to make a chunky sauce??

Michele

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Comments (6)

millymoo
13 years ago
I'm wondering why you need to put it through a food strainer? Wouldn't that just give you a thin sauce?

I roast skinned tomatos with fresh garlic, large handful of basil, salt, chili peppers and a little olive oil in about a 325-350 degree oven for 2-3 hours. This amount of time allows much of the water to evaporate and concentrate the flavours-sweetness is often the result of this slow, long roast. Sometimes, I have added sugar(1tsp) to the sauce but this year,I've added so many sweet cherry tomatos that my sauce is sweet enough. When cool, I use my immersion blender to chop it up a little more fine but I could leave it chunkier. Then transfer to containers and freeze.

Hope this helps!
millymoo
13 years ago
Sorry, Michele about questioning your use of the food strainer-obviously, you're looking to get rid of seeds/gel.DuH!!It's really too early for me to think clearly! hee. I personally don't care about seeds/gel in the sauce but I do see your point.

I'd try roasting them a little longer in a slighter cooler oven, as previously suggested with the addition of a little sugar to counter the bitterness. Then strain.

Alternatively, since you're using Italian paste vars. with few seeds/gel anyway; you could halve them, scrape away seeds/gel and roast them, then lightly blend them or put them in a food processor.
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Hi Irish! Like DigDirt, I prefer the taste of roasted tomatoes for my sauce. I like to do things quick and easy, especially when it comes to preserving because it seems like everything comes on at once and it's hard to keep up. Here's the super-easy way I make roasted tomato sauce, which I freeze for use all winter long. I use Roma (plum) tomatoes for a thicker sauce. No amounts listed in my recipe because it really doesn't matter. I just keep roasting pan-fulls until I've used up the tomatoes. Jane's Roasted Tomato Sauce 1. Core and halve tomatoes (I run my thumb up the hollows quickly to push out most of the gel/seeds) 2. Put tomatoes in a BIG bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss to coat tomatoes. 3. Place tomatoes CUT SIDE DOWN in large rimmed sheet pan, as big as will fit your oven. 4. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 mins. Tomato skins will begin to shrivel and start to blacken on top, this is good. 5. When sizzley and well-roasted, remove from oven. The tomato skins will be loosened and most of them will slip off the tomato if squeezed lightly with tongs. If you wish to remove skins, go ahead. If not, it's okay too. 6. Place tomatoes in food processor, pulse a few times until thick and chunky consistency (or however you like your sauce). You will probably have to work in batches since the entire pan of tomatoes won't fit in food processor at once. 7. Pour into freezer containers and let cool before placing in freezer. This makes tomato sauce. I like Italian sauce since that's what I mostly use. So at Step #2 I also cut up some bell peppers and onions into big chunks, put them in bowl with tomatoes and oil. Also a few garlic cloves. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, italian spices. Then place in pan and continue in the same way. Easy, can do a lot at once. Can do tomatoes ahead and leave the big oily bowl covered in frig a day or two until you find time to roast. Free time while roasting, versus sauce on the stovetop that you have to keep an eye on. There aren't any finicky rules using this method. (I'm usually not good with finicky rules! LOL ) Enjoy!
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digdirt2
13 years ago
If you are going to freeze it you can basically make and season it anyway you wish. For canning that isn't the case as there are restrictions that would apply. I can all my tomato sauce so I'm not sure how much my recipes would appeal to you but one we use often is a sauced version of the BBB Stewed Tomatoes recipe. In other words we make the stewed tomatoes recipe and them mill it all and cook the sauce down by 1/2 and can it.

Your recipe sounds good but I would suspect either reactive aluminum cookware or too much basil as the source of the bitterness. Small amounts work well but if too much it can turn bitter. As a general guideline, since so many herbs and spices intensify during storage many find it best to make the sauce plain - just tomatoes and some salt and/or sugar, and then add the herbs and seasoning at serving preparation time.

So why not try just roasted tomatoes in a bit of olive oil with a little diced garlic and a bit of salt and then process it. Make sure all the cookware you use is non-reactive too.

Dave
caryltoo Z7/SE PA
13 years ago
Brown onions and garlic in olive oil (ground beef too if you want a meat sauce), add strained tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, worcestershire sauce, crushed red pepper and simmer for hours on the stove on very low setting stirring occasionally. If it scorches it will be bitter. Add fresh basil at the end of the cooking process. Obviously this isn't for canning. For that I just cook down the strained tomatoes to a sauce-like consistency.

Caryl
michelelc
Original Author
13 years ago
Today is the big day, I am going to make the sauce. Thank you for all the great suggestions! Dave, I think you are right, I used too many spices and overcooked the tomatoes in the oven. I don't think it was reactive bakeware, I used 1 glass lasagna pan and my roasting pan with is coated with a nonstick surface.
david1948
13 years ago
Mornin, I watch a lot of Alton B. He says there is something in maters that alcohol dissolves and really enhances the flavor of the fruit. My better half made a marinara sauce and tried the alcohol thing using white wine. The flavor was incredible. Really bright and rich.
Something you could try while making your sauce. I don't know what step you would add the wine or vodka or what ever you use though? Think you would want the alc. to evap. before canning though.
Dave

how do you make your tomato sauce

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how do you make your tomato sauce

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