I've been on a DIY kick lately. It all started last year when I made preserved lemons, and it continued this summer with strawberry jam. The kick is still going strong, and I've most recently become interested in sauces. Simple sauces. Like tomato sauce.
Tomato sauce is easy to make, if you don't mind waiting for it to cook. I first learned to make tomato sauce in 2006, using lots of fresh tomatoes. But if you don't have time, then canned tomatoes are perfectly fine.
Today I share two versions: One is a tomato butter sauce from Marcella Hazan (Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking) that has made its way around the food blogosphere (see Smitten Kitchen, Amateur Gourmet, Food52, and Chowhound). "Simple" is an understatement, and this sauce is as rich as bloggers say it is. It's almost frightening how quickly I finished off this one. Anyway, I won't promote it further, since butter speaks for itself. The second sauce is a basic version inspired by recipes from Splendid Table and Simply Recipes.
Read on!
Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Butter
It begins with one 28-oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes and their juice...
About 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter...
Half a large onion, or one medium onion, peeled but not chopped...
All put in a saucepan and left to simmer for 35-45 minutes...
Until it turns reddish orange...
And you see little rounds of fat forming on the surface. Remove the onion before serving.
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Basic Tomato Sauce with Olives
Carrots (1-2), celery (1-2 stalks), and (1) onion - Chop and saute in a pan for a few minutes. You should probably use a finer cut than this; I was lazy. Also, my quantities are loose approximations.
Add some chopped green olives, a pat or two of unsalted butter, and a 1-2 cloves of minced garlic.
Note: I started with about 2 tablespoons of butter, but after the sauce had simmered for a while, I added 2 more tablespoons for added richness. An extra tablespoon or two makes a noticeable difference, so start with a small quantity of butter and add more later, if you want.
Also add about a tablespoon of tomato paste...
Then, as above, add one 28-oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes with their juice.
Simmer for 30-45 minutes. You can blend this sauce if desired or eat it chunky, like I did. In hindsight, I would have preferred this sauce to be smooth, since after a day or two, it started to look less and less like a sauce. Maybe I could have added more liquid to it. Also, the flavor is decent but fairly mild. I wouldn't say you will be dazzled by this one, but you can certainly use this as a base and add whatever you think will suit your taste better.
