It’s not difficult to make tomato sauce. Compared with the finished product from the store, the home one wins in all respects: natural ingredients, the absence of dyes and artificial preservatives, the amount of salt and spices that is pleasant to your taste.
General principles for the preparation of tomato sauce at home
The main ingredient, of course, is tomatoes. For tomato sauce, they must be very ripe, you can even take slightly overripe. Most recipes, especially when it comes to dressing for classic Italian pizza, use red varieties of tomatoes.
But there are also sauce options that do not require fresh tomatoes - they are made from tomato paste or juice. The main plus of such recipes is speed. However, the original product must be of high quality, otherwise the sauce will turn out tasteless.
Salt is usually added to tomato sauce, and sugar is often added to balance the acidity of tomatoes. Spice, a variety of spicy herbs give individuality to the finished dish. Tomatoes and basil combine well, a very delicious sauce is obtained by adding garlic. Peppers: red, black or chili will help to sharpen. A small amount of wine or balsamic vinegar will make homemade tomato sauce more piquant. There are also variations with slices of sweet pepper, olives, zucchini, onions.
Homemade tomato sauce: Italian fresh tomato
The flavor of Italy is given to the sauce by the spices traditional for this country: basil, marjoram, oregano. It can be used to make pizza or season with pasta.
Ingredients
A dozen ripe tomatoes;
two teaspoons of dry oregano;
half a teaspoon of dry basil;
a quarter of a teaspoon of dry marjoram;
tablespoon tomato paste;
a teaspoon of white wine (dry).
Cooking
1. On each tomato we make an incision in the form of a cross. Dip in boiling water for 30 seconds. We get out, we plunge briefly in cold water. Then free the tomatoes from the skin and cut into pieces.
2. Put the tomatoes in a saucepan, simmer over low heat. We need to evaporate the juice. About ten minutes after the start of cooking, salt, add all the herbs.
3. To make the sauce consistency perfectly smooth and tender, we will get rid of tomato seeds. To do this, just pass the finished mass through a sieve.
4. Pour a little white wine into the cooled sauce, this will add a spicy touch. If desired, you can replace the wine with lemon juice.
Tomato sauce at home: for pizza (from tomato paste)
Cooking takes only a quarter of an hour. In order to please the taste of the finished sauce, choose high-quality tomato paste, best made in accordance with GOST. It should not have artificial thickeners, such as starch, flavor enhancers, dyes. Only tomatoes, water and salt.
Ingredients
200 grams of tomato paste;
three cloves of garlic;
three tablespoons of olive oil;
half a teaspoon of sugar;
ground black pepper;
half a teaspoon of a mixture of dried oregano and basil;
glass of water;
salt;
two tablespoons of wine (dry red).
Cooking method
1. Peel and chop the garlic. We fry it in a skillet in olive oil until a light golden color, in no case let it burn.
2. Add tomato paste to garlic oil, dilute with water. Season with a mixture of basil and oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, pour the wine. On low heat we bring the sauce to readiness, ten minutes is enough.
Homemade tomato sauce: marinara
This is a classic Italian sauce, in which basil, oregano, garlic, ground red pepper are always present. Herbs can be taken both fresh and dried, and the amount of garlic and pepper vary depending on the desired sharpness. Also in this sauce in different variations are added ground fennel seeds, olives, balsamic vinegar, capers. Marinara goes well with pasta and seafood.
Ingredients
One and a half kilograms of tomatoes;
50 grams of red wine;
olive oil;
half a lemon;
two tea spoons of sugar;
four cloves of garlic;
a teaspoon of basil and oregano;
half a teaspoon of marjoram;
a quarter of a teaspoon of ground red pepper;
salt.
Cooking method
1. Put the tomatoes in a metal colander, place it for half a minute in a pan with boiling water. Remove the peel from all the tomatoes. Then we pierce the tomatoes with a blender. You can also use a meat grinder.
2. Finely chopped garlic and fry in olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add chopped tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils.
3. Now is the seasoning time. We send herbs, wine, red pepper, granulated sugar to the stewpan. We simmer on low heat until the juice evaporates, and the sauce acquires the consistency of thick sour cream.
4. At the final stage of cooking, salt our sauce and add lemon juice to it.
Tomato sauce at home: from tomato juice
It is very important to use thick high-quality tomato juice for this sauce. From a half-liter box you get about a glass of ready-made sauce, which is perfect for barbecue or fried chicken.
Ingredients
0.5 liters of tomato juice;
tablespoon of granulated sugar;
salt;
a pinch of ground pepper;
a teaspoon of dried basil;
a pinch of cinnamon.
Cooking method
1. Pour granulated sugar into a deep frying pan, heat it over low heat to begin to caramelize.
2. Add tomato juice. Stirring, boil the liquid in half.
3. Season the future sauce with basil, ground black pepper, cinnamon. As for salt, its amount depends on how salty juice is used. Try and add as needed.
4. We continue to boil tomato sauce to the degree of density that we want to get. If it still turns out to be liquidish (perhaps the juice was originally not too thick), add a little tomato paste.
Homemade Tomato Sauce: Mexican with Chili
For those who like it hotter. Incredibly fast and sharp! This sauce will be especially good with corn chips, or you can just use it as a spicy snack. If chili stickiness doesn’t scare you, use it with the seeds or remove them to make the sauce softer.
Ingredients
Two large tomatoes;
one onion;
three chili peppers;
a teaspoon of salt;
two teaspoons of lemon juice.
Cooking method
1. Make cuts in the shape of a cross on each tomato, place the tomatoes for half a minute in boiling water, then remove the skin from them.
2. Cut the tomatoes and onions into large pieces. Chilli
3. Put the vegetables in the blender bowl. Pour lemon juice there, season with salt. Grind all the ingredients until smooth. Mexican spicy sauce is ready!
Tomato sauce at home: with slices of zucchini
This recipe is great for harvesting for the winter. It turns out a universal sauce for any meat dishes or pasta.
Ingredients
Two kilograms of tomatoes;
two kilograms of squash:
6-7 sweet bell peppers;
two tablespoons of salt;
a glass of sugar;
half a glass of vegetable oil;
tablespoon of 9% vinegar.
Cooking method
1. Tomatoes and peppers are cut in large pieces, as well as one kilogram of zucchini, which previously peeled from the skin and seeds. Grind all these ingredients with a meat grinder.
2. The second kilogram of squash is cut into small cubes, not more than a centimeter.
3. Put all the vegetables in a deep saucepan. Pour the vegetable oil, add salt and sugar, mix.
4. Simmer for 40 minutes on low heat. At the end of cooking, add vinegar.
5. Pour the finished sauce into hot sterilized jars, roll up the lids.
Tomato sauce at home: chutney
Chutney native to India. He is loved for a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Most often it is fruit sauce, but tomatoes are also good for it.
Ingredients
A kilogram of tomatoes;
three large red onions;
a slice of ginger root (2 cm);
five to six medium-sized apples;
350 grams of sugar;
one green chili pepper;
250 grams of pitted raisins;
two teaspoons of salt;
300 ml apple cider vinegar.
Cooking method
1. Tomatoes immersed in boiling water for thirty seconds, then remove the skin from them. Cut into large pieces.
2. Peel the apples from the peel and seeds, cut into slices (each into eight parts). We also cut red onion. Cut the pod of chili pepper, if you are afraid of sharpness - remove the seeds.
3. Put the prepared ingredients in a saucepan. Salt, season with sugar and ginger root, previously grated through a grater. We give the mixture to boil, do not forget to mix, wait for the sugar to dissolve.
4. Now pour the vinegar, over low heat let the sauce simmer for 45 minutes. It should gradually thicken.
5. Readiness indicator - the softness of onions and apples. Before serving, allow the chutney to cool. Ready sauce can be packaged in small jars and stored in the refrigerator.
Tomato sauce at home - secrets and tricks
If the sauce is thick, add tomato juice, white wine or lemon juice is also suitable. But it is not worth diluting the finished tomato sauce with water, it will spoil the taste and texture.
· Too thin tomato sauce will save the addition of ready-made tomato paste.
· Any recipe for tomato sauce can be made more spicy if you add only half a pod of red hot pepper to it.
· To avoid coarse pieces of dried herbs in a gentle, uniform pizza sauce, rub them into powder before adding.
