Tomato Sauces

Tomato sauces of all sorts, from simply seasoned and fresh to complex and highly seasoned, are featured in cuisines around the world. Tomato sauce is a generic term used to describe any sauce that is based mainly on tomatoes. Tomato sauces can be made several ways. They may be raw or cooked, anywhere from ten minutes to several hours. In some versions, olive oil is the only cooking fat. For others, rendered salt pork or bacon is required. Some recipes call for roasted veal or pork bones; others are made strictly from tomatoes and the desired vegetables. Some tomato sauces are puréed until smooth while others are left chunky.

Good tomato sauce can be made from fresh or canned tomatoes. When fresh tomatoes are at their peak, it may be a good idea to use them exclusively. At other times of the year, good quality canned tomatoes are a better choice. Plum tomatoes, sometimes referred to as Romas, are generally preferred for tomato sauces because they have a high ratio of flesh to skin and seeds. Fresh tomatoes may be skinned and seeded for sauce, or they may be simply rinsed, cored, and quartered or chopped. Canned tomatoes come peeled and whole, puréed, or a combination of the two. Tomato paste is sometimes added to the sauce as well.

There are many choices for additional flavoring ingredients. Some recipes call for a standard mirepoix as the aromatic vegetable component, while others rely simply on garlic and onions.

Choose a heavy-gauge pot that is made of nonreactive materials such as stainless steel or anodized aluminum because tomatoes have a high acid content. Because of the high sugar content of some tomatoes, you will need to establish an even heat without hot spots so the sauce will not scorch. Use a food mill to purée the sauce. For a very smooth texture, you may wish to use a blender, immersion blender, or food processor.

French Tomato Sauces

Sauce Tomate

Sauce tomate is one of the five mother sauces. Sauce tomate is usually used as a secondary component and not as a primary sauce.  Classic Italian or Spanish tomato sauces are usually principal sauces. Sauce tomate is made a tomato purée, simmered with onion, bay leaf and thyme, a pork product and thickened with a roux.  Italian and Spanish sauces are not thickened with a roux.

Tomato Concassée

A tomato concassée is a peeled, seeded and chopped or diced tomato.  The tomato may be peeled with a vegetable peeler, paring knife or blanched and shocked.  A tomato may be raw, lightly cooked for ripe tomatoes or cooked longer for less than the ripest tomatoes.

Tomato Coulis

A tomato coulis is a smooth purée of raw or cooked tomatoes strained of seeds and peel.

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French

  • Classically thickened with a roux
  • Uses a white stock, veal or chicken
  • Uses pork bones or other pork products
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Italian & Spanish

  • No Roux
  • Simmered with few ingredients
  • Oregano & Basil are commonly added
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Improving the Flavor of Tomato Sauces

  • Use the best, ripest, fresh tomatoes.
    • Or a good canned tomato…ie, San Marzano
  • Avoid overcooking the tomatoes.
  • The better the tomato is, the less need there is for other ingredients. i.e., herbs, meats, stock, etc.
  • Use roasting as a means to concentrate tomato flavor and add caramelization flavors
  • Balance both sweetness and acidity with sugar and vinegar or add a gastrique.

Canned Tomato Products

As a practical matter, canned tomatoes are often superior to fresh.  The shipping demands of a fresh tomato requires that the tomato be picked early when it is still green and firm.  A good quality fresh tomato may only be available at farm stands, farmer’s markets and the home garden.

Tomato Purée–Briefly cooked tomatoes and strained resulting in a thick liquid
Tomato Sauce–Thinner than puree and may have seasonings and flavorings
Tomato Paste (Tomato Concentrate)–Tomatoes that have been cooked several hours, strained and reduced to thick concentrate.  Generally fairly sweet.
Whole or Diced–Peeled, seeded and whole or diced.  Uncooked.
Crushed–Unregulated description…may have seeds or peels and varying percentages of tomato

Canned Tomato Ingredients

Salt is added as a preservative and enhance the flavor.

Citric Acid or vitamin C, is also used as a preservative.

Calcium Chloride is used to help maintain the shape and texture of diced tomatos.