Recipe

February 5, 2015

Best Tomato Sauce

Recipe: Eric Vellend

Adding finely grated carrot to tomato sauce is a Mario Batali trick that boosts sweetness and colour.

Ingredients

  • 2 28-oz. cans Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup finely grated carrot
  • 1 sprig basil
  • Salt, pepper and sugar, to taste

Directions

Yield: 6 cups

  1. Place tomatoes with their juices in large mixing bowl. Remove and discard any bits of skin and unripe tomato. Gently crush tomatoes using your hands.
  2. In medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add garlic and carrot. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. (Lower heat if it starts to brown.) Stir in tomatoes. Raise heat to high. When it starts to bubble, lower heat to maintain gentle simmer. Add basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove and discard basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add sugar, if necessary.
  3. For a more rustic sauce, leave as is. For a smoother sauce — ideal for pizzas — buzz with an immersion blender. Cool. Transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 3 months.
Photographer:

Donna Griffith

Source:

House & Home March 2014