Bernie Michalik's posterous site

I have to admit, I find store bought tomato sauce convienient, but after
following Mark Bittman's recipe tonight, I see me making my own from now
on. First of all, it is really easy. Second of all, it tastes like real
food. And third, it is cheaper than all but the cheapest kind. Finally, you
can use it on everything and with everything.

To make it, you need a good sized pot and you need olive oil, tomatoes and
flavour.

Take 1/4 cup of olive oil. Heat over medium heat. For flavour, start with the
basics: one large onion chopped or diced. Cook the onion until soft. Add 2
cans of tomatoes (28 oz each), reserving the liquid. Or about 4 pounds of
fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped. (If the tomatoes are too watery, sit
them in a colander for a bit to let them drain). Cook the tomatoes for 15
to 20 minutes. Add tomato juices or water if it is too dry. At the end, add
fresh chopped herbs (1/2 cup of basil or parsely) if you desire. Also salt
and pepper to taste. Done!

If you want to vary it, replace the onion with a lot of garlic (4-10
cloves). Add some heat, if you want (red pepper flakes, chilis, jalepenos,
Tobasco). Try other herbs at the end (e.g, cilantro or oregano or a
combination of herbs). For a meatier sauce, before you add the onion, brown
some meat or sausage or bacon (he recommends 1/4 pound, but use your own
judgement). Check out combinations on tomato sauces in the grocery store
and then adopt them yourself. Make a puttanesca sauce with garlic and
capers and olives. Or an arrabiata sauce. It's easy.

Always try to get and use really good tomatoes. It will make all the
difference in the world. If you can get really good ones (easy to do in Toronto)
you will need minimal additional flavour. If your tomatoes are on the bland
side, compensate with punchier flavours like lots of garlic or jalepenos
and cilantro for a salsa like tomato sauce (great for steak or steak like
fish).

Try to limit the liquid at the beginning. The tomatoes will release water
as they cook. If it is too watery at the end, you can puree it to make a
smoother and thicker sauce. Or you can blend in some tomato paste to
thicken it. Or cook pasta right in the tomato sauce instead of in a
separate pot. I do this all the time. I brown a pound of ground beef, then
cook a chopped onion til soft, then add 2 cups of stock, 19 oz of chopped
tomatoes or watery tomato sauce, 1-2 tablespoons of dried herbs like
basil, 3 cups of frozen veg and then 1.5 cups of dried pasta and cook for
15-20 minutes until the pasta is al dente, adding water or stock if it
starts to dry out. Is it fancy? No! Do kids love it? Yes! it's perfect for
those days I can barely manage to cook. If you have watery tomato sauce,
you could use it like this.
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