The Pizza Therapy Forum and Pasta Therapy Forum

[VICIII]

I can buy better sauce than I can make.
That is the only thing that is sold where I can not make it better at home.
Whos got a good basic sauce. A sauce that would be used at a pizzera..
Anyone?

[paul]

The secret: Fennel and anise. High-quality canned tomatoes.

This recipe for marinara sauce almost nails Toronto-style pizza sauce:

http://www.italianchef.com/marinara.html

with the following changes -

- drop the garlic

- double the basil

- add 1/2 tsp fennel seed (crushed between your palms)

- add 1/2 tsp anise seed (crushed between your palms).


I have also discovered that "local" canned tomatoes are miserable.  When I switched to using only tomatoes imported from Italy ("Mastro" brand, Italian plum tomatoes, $2.00 per can instead of $1.00 per can), it made a huge difference.

The sauce should not turn out to be entirely consistent - bite-size lumps of tomatoes should remain.

[Stalden]

Hey VicIII
I was in the same boat as your were, made pizza for awhile but could not come up with a good sauce recipe that I like. Came close, and some of them not too bad, but never had one that jump out at me.....until recently.
I discovered San Marzano plum tomatoes. Go to this link on youtube and folow his recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-blpTOZIs8A
I have made this only one time but I love it, the only thing I would do different, not too add the red pepper flakes if you do not like it hot, and watch the water, the can of Marzano I had, had a lot of juice, so play that by ear, you can always coook it down to your desire thickness. Experiment any way you want to, but using the San Marzanos would be an excellent base to any pizza sauce. the only drawback Marzano plum tomatoes are expensive, I pay around 3.29 a can, and depends where you live may be hard to find. I live in a small town and have to travel over 20 miles to get them, but it is worth it. Another alternitive is trying the San Marzanos that are grown in the States, or even try to grow your own which I am going to try next year. Hope this helps you and post a message when you try the recipe.

[dfandreatta]

The question is, what do you want in a sauce?

In a red, I like alot of fresh oregano, garlic, some red wine, and a hint of fresh basil.

I use tomato puree and tomato paste, with some dry red wine and the aforementioned spices.

Keep in mind that such toppings as Italian sausage will influence the final result because of the spices included in those.

For a white pizza, I use sauteed red onion, lots of garlic, and artichoke hearts.

I top the pizza with fresh spinach, and baby portabellas sauteed in red wine and pepper. No butter or oils.
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"Papa Don"
Apollo Beach, Florida

[pizza]

I think the San Marzano's are fantastic, but they are pricey.

I have made sauce from fresh tomatoes. The sauce has turned out well.
The tomatoes must be very ripe and full.

However, my staple instead of using a tomato sauce, has been to just use a can of stewed tomatoes. I smash them down with a fork.

I usually drain them if I am in a hurry, but the best thing would to cook them down to get rid of some of the liquid.

And I'm usually in a hurry when I make pizza...

I love Don's white sauce idea...that sounds excellent.
_________________
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[dfandreatta]

Here is a recipe for a wonderful tomato sauce for pizza, pasta, or whatever: (note - I use fresh herbs whenever possible)

20 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper (might be a bit much for some people, gives a nice "bite")
1 cup finely diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
1 cup white wine (I use red wine.... go figure)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans place tomato halves cut side up. Sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs. Bake tomatoes for 2 hours. Check the tomatoes after 1 hour and turn down the heat if they seem to be cooking too quickly. Then turn the oven to 400 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and process tomatoes through a food mill on medium die setting over a small saucepan. Discard skins. Add wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes (the wine brings out flavors due to a compound in the tomatoes that is soluble in alcohol, and red wine will temper the acidity in the tomatoes, giving a rich, full flavor).

Enjoy!
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"Papa Don"
Apollo Beach, Florida

[chefjane]

Here is the sauce recipe from THE ULTIMATE PIZZA MANUAL. (It's incredible...best I ever tasted..anywhere!)

29 oz can RED PACK puree (You can use any puree but flavor will be different.)
1-3/4 cups Water (or half the puree can)
3 TBS Sugar (More or less if you're not using Red Pack Puree.)
1 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp crushed dried sweet basil
1/2 heaping tsp crushed dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cubes chicken-flavor bouillon (OPTIONAL)
1/8 cup Ketchup (OPTIONAL)
1/4-1/2 tsp Asian chile paste (OPTIONAL-VERY HOT!)

NOTE: NO GARLIC! The more you were to add, the less flavor the sauce will have!


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[dfandreatta]

Thank you for sharing more varieties on the red pizza sauce!

It is said that "Variety is the spice of life!" That's why they call me "Ginger"!
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"Papa Don"
Apollo Beach, Florida