Does tomato paste work, or does it have to be puree? In my local store, the only brand of puree is Progresso. The others have tomato paste and tomato sauce, but no puree...
I started by making a traditional "sauce" for my pizza (you know; paste, puree, garlic, onions, the whole schmear), but after reading Jeff Varasano's site I tried his method and I'm never looking back.
You'll need a can of whole, peeled plum tomatoes. (I prefer Cento out of the three or four varieties available in my area.) Separate the tomatoes from their puree, then rinse the tomatoes IN the puree to remove the seeds. Strain the seeds out of the puree, discared them, then recombine the now-seedless puree with the tomatoes.
Crush the tomatoes (along with the puree) with a hand mixer, then season to taste using your preference of basil, oregano, salt, garlic, whatever. Jeff says he sometimes uses a bit of romano in there to cut some of the bitterness, but I prefer it without.
And that's basically it. Don't cook it before it goes on the skin; it'll cook in the oven, and the result will be the most flavorful, vibrant sauce you've ever had on a pizza. Previously, I was cooking the hell out of my sauce and it was way too heavy, almost cloying; this way it's nearly perfect, every time.
One can usually makes enough for about four 14" pies.
