Tomato Sauce Tonight

[cranky]

cranky,

Thanks for asking the boss how she goes about making her sauce.    Probably over the weekend I will give it a try.  It sounds great to me.  Thank the “boss” for me.    Since you have been making sauce for over 40 years and think this is the best sauce, I appreciate you sharing it. 

Norma

One other thing.  Try it without parmesan before you smother in cheese.

[norma427]

One other thing.  Try it without parmesan before you smother in cheese.

cranky,

I will try the sauce without Parmesan.  I usually always taste test anything before I then add other cheeses or other ingredients. 

Thanks for the tip! 

Norma

[buceriasdon]

Right now, nice looking plums are going for $1.20 for a kilo. When the price drops to under a dollar a kilo I buy about seven kilos to dehydrate(I built my dryer) for my sundried tomato pesto pizzas and packing in garlic oil. I use much the same recipe for my fresh sauce as cranky except I do add a half a cup white wine while simmering and I include 1/2 sweet onion. I mash the tomatos as they cook down. Nice thread, I've enjoyed it.
Don

Don,

LOL, you are funny!  Thanks for telling how you crush your tomatoes and how you also never noticed any bitterness from seeds. 

Norma

[norma427]

Right now, nice looking plums are going for $1.20 for a kilo. When the price drops to under a dollar a kilo I buy about seven kilos to dehydrate(I built my dryer) for my sundried tomato pesto pizzas and packing in garlic oil. I use much the same recipe for my fresh sauce as cranky except I do add a half a cup white wine while simmering and I include 1/2 sweet onion. I mash the tomatos as they cook down. Nice thread, I've enjoyed it.
Don

Don,
I never tried to dehydrate any tomatoes, but that sounds fascinating.  Your sundried tomato pesto pizzas also sound delicious.  I also never tried white wine in a tomato sauce, but that is also a great idea. 

Thanks for saying this was a nice thread.  You just never know what you will learn on this forum.  I have learned many things on here and they don’t all relate to pizza, even though this forum is mostly about pizza.

Thanks for your ideas and sharing them with other members, 

Norma

[Jackie Tran]

Jackie Tran,

I just wanted to try out this sauce of Les's with his method to see if different types of tomatoes would then produce the same kind of sauce as the grape tomatoes.  It did create the same sauce in my opinion.  The first time I tried Les's recipe I didn't have the anise seed, but all the others times I have tried out this recipe of Les's the taste is great with the added anise seed.  Let us know when you try out Les's recipe how you like this sauce.  I am going to used some on pizza at some time.  I just didn't have enough tomatoes before to try out how this would work. I added a little more anise seed and other ingredients, because I used more tomatoes than called for in Les's recipe. Les's recipe was very good, in my opinion when used on pasta or different pasta products.

Norma

Norma I made the sauce tonight.  I thought it was good.  Not drastically better than my regular sauce using 6n1s.  here's why.   I didn't have fresh oregano so I used Ganji Dante.  I figured the Ganji is as good as any fresh oregano.  Otherwise I followed the recipe.  I even went out and bought some anise seed at $8/oz.    I didn't have grape tomatoes but used the plum sized fresh tomatoes.   I didn't know what anise seeds smelled like until I crushed them up.  Nice licorice smell to them.   

When I normally make my sauce with 6n1's I don't add the anise seed or garlic but all else is the same.  OO, pinch of sea salt.   

To tonight's sauce i also added a pinch of natural stevia sweetner.  The sauce was very good but also very similar to what I normally make.   Now my wife on the other hand, kept saying "Oh the sauce, it's so good!  do you always make it with fresh tomatoes like this?"   She said it about 4 times, so that says a lot for the sauce.   I'm pretty sure this one's a big winner in my book.

I'll keep adding the anise seeds to my regular sauce now and add in fresh baked tomatoes when I have them.   I'm glad I tried this sauce.  it's good stuff. 

[norma427]

Jackie Tran,

I am glad you and your wife liked the sauce, but the credit should go to Les.  He is the one that posted the recipe.  That was a lot of money for the anise seed.  I just bought already crushed anise seed at market and I know I didn’t pay anything near what you did.  Sorry it was so expensive for you.  I had to laugh when you said you wife really like this sauce about four times.  That’s interesting that you thought this sauce tasted like you own sauce.  My sauce I use at market tastes a lot different.  I never tried Les’s recipe without fresh oregano, so I don’t know how that would taste. 

I you ever get you hands on some just picked tomatoes near you, give them a try in Les’s sauce.

Thanks for posting back with your results,

Norma

[scott123]

I even went out and bought some anise seed at $8/oz. 

You should have said something.  My local Italian grocer had a 5.5 oz. bottle of ground anise for $2, and, although it's more anise than I'll use in a lifetime, the price was right so I pulled the trigger.  I would gladly have sent you an ounce.

[cranky]

You should have said something.  My local Italian grocer had a 5.5 oz. bottle of ground anise for $2, and, although it's more anise than I'll use in a lifetime, the price was right so I pulled the trigger.  I would gladly have sent you an ounce.

I planted anise and it took over the garden.  It grows everywhere.  I harvested a gallon of seeds a couple of years ago and ended up throwing them away.  This year I managed to get it under control some and have only a few plants.  It might be different in your area, but if you scatter a few seeds on some dirt in the spring you will have anise for free.

[norma427]

I planted anise and it took over the garden.  It grows everywhere.  I harvested a gallon of seeds a couple of years ago and ended up throwing them away.  This year I managed to get it under control some and have only a few plants.  It might be different in your area, but if you scatter a few seeds on some dirt in the spring you will have anise for free.

cranky,

That's interesting.  Do you know where you buy the anise seeds.  I might get some for next year and then just use my mortar & pestle to grind up the seeds.  I never thought about growing my own seeds.  You sure know your gardening. 

Norma

[Jackie Tran]

I'll give that idea a try Cranky.  I guess the Universe has a way of balancing itself out.  I also bought 2 lbs of Fleishmans IDY for $4 at Costco yesterday. It's more yeast than I'll ever need. . Anyone wanna trade some anise seeds for IDY?

[Ev]

I tryed the sauce that Norma highlighted yesterday and used on the sicillian pie that I posted today. I cheated a few items pretty well, so I doubt it's a good rendition of the recipe as written, but it sure was good.
 Since I already had a pint of my standard pizza sauce made with 6in1s on hand, I used this instead of opening a whole new can. Also instead of fresh garlic, I used a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic. Also, since I couldn't find any whole or ground anise seed, I used a couple/few drops of anise extract instead.
 Also, instead of grape tomatoes, i picked a bunch of "Super Marzanos" from the garden, sprinkled them with sea salt and roasted them in the oven at 200 for 2 hours, after which I peeled the skins and pulsed them in my blender. I de-seeded before the roast.

[Jackie Tran]

Wow Ev. Those tomatoes look FANTASTIC!

[norma427]

Steve,

That’s great you also like Les’s sauce, even if you did change it some. Your “Super Manzanos” look great.  If you want some anise seed or crushed anise, they sell it at market, if you are going to make this sauce again.

I think if I find the time, I am going to try out cranky's recipe tomorrow.

Norma

[Ev]

Wow Ev. Those tomatoes look FANTASTIC!

Thanks JT, they are pretty good. If you lived nearby I'd share them. I've got tomatoes out the wazoo right now. Most of them will probably be wasted. I've been so busy working on the WFO that I've been neglecting the garden. Or maybe I'm just lazy like that.

[Tscarborough]

Those are some Magnifico! tomatoes.  You should do what you just did and freeze them.

[Ev]

You know, maybe I'll just do that. I've got a foodsaver vacuum sealer that would do the trick, I think. Do you think I need to cook them first?

[Tscarborough]

I would deseed and salt them at least.

[cranky]

You know, maybe I'll just do that. I've got a foodsaver vacuum sealer that would do the trick, I think. Do you think I need to cook them first?

All you need to do is drop them in boiling water for a minute or less.  Scoop them out and the skins will slide right off if you squeeze and pinch them a little.  Put them in freezer bags and get all the air out that you can.  You do not need to vacume seal them.  Seal the ziplock top until only a corner is open and suck the rest of the air out with your mouth and zip the rest before air leaks back in.  Or you can kind of push the tomato and a little sauce up in the bag until all the air is out.  Seeds are ok, but I like to get the skins off.  When you use these in the winter rather than commercial canned tomatoes you will be very happy.  They will be better than any expensive imported tomato and when people who pay $5 for a can of tomatoes say it does not pay to have a few plants they need to redo the math, unless they live where the climate does not cooperate.

[norma427]

cranky,

Thanks for your advise on freezing the fresh tomatoes.    If I have time tomorrow and enough tomatoes are ripe enough I want to try your tomato sauce.  I picked about 20 different varieties of tomatoes today.  I was wondering if I have a few tomatoes that are still on the vine that are just about ready to be picked, if I place then in a brown paper bag, if you think they will ripen enough, until tomorrow.  I have tried this in the past and had some mixed results. 

Thanks,
Norma

[Ev]

Cranky.
Thanks for the advice. I'll give that a shot!