ARGH!!! sauce is my nemesis!! :(

[canadave]

*sigh* I'm trying really hard to control myself right now.....

Tonight my wife and I are going to the neighbour's house and we're going to make my pizza.  I tried making some sauce, and I'm having all sorts of difficulties AS PER USUAL!  I have NEVER been able to successfully make a sauce.  What the heck am I doing wrong??? 

I bought a 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes from the Italian grocery.  I emptied the can of tomatoes, liquid and all, into a medium saucepan, broke out my potato masher implement, and ground up the tomatoes.  I put in some extra virgin olive oil, then some salt, then just a bit of spices (1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme).  Brought it to a simmer.  The whole thing was liquidy.  OK, fine.  But after 30 minutes of simmering with occasional stirring, the thing was still completely liquidy, except for huge gompy chunks of the sort of yellow-tinged skin of the tomatoes!!!   It's a mess--nowhere close to a sauce.  Smells good, but that's it.

I'm so disappointed I want to cry.  Am I not grinding the tomatoes up enough?  Am I supposed to dispose of parts of the tomatoes?  Am I not simmering it enough?  Is there something else I'm supposed to be doing???  I want to curse right now but I'm going to hold my tongue......BIG SIGH............

Any help would be appreciated for next time.

Dave

[canadianbacon]

Hi Dave,

go to Loblaws, and go to their bulk section, buy a big can of the sauce they sell there, - it's restaurant pizza sauce, and it's very good,
I used it all the time, it's $3.99 or abouts..... it's authentic sauce, if you ask me....

if you don't have amazing sauce on hand that you've made, this is a great backup.

Mark

[canadave]

Mark, thanks for the idea...unfortunately I don't have any Loblaws out here.  You'd be surprised how different western Canadian stores are from Eastern ones...sometimes I think the only thing we have in common is Canadian Tire

I have a backup sauce, but I really really really want to get the hang of making my own.  I just seem completely incapable of doing so

[canadianbacon]

oh shoot 

Dang.... Ok what about Super Store ?

When I was living in Vancouver we had a store called "Super Store" ... or "Great Canadian SuperStore" .... out here, believe it or not, Loblaws has little sections popping up called "Great Canadian SuperStore" - and geez, would you believe it's the SAME EXACT logo as the one in VAncouver ? !
yeah ! .... Loblaws own The SuperStore ! ---oooh that kills me.....

out east here, so many of the HUGE grocery stores are owned by the same company !!

Anyway I think SuperStore is in Alberta, but if you don't live in either B.C. or Alberta, I think you are outta luck 

I'd check in their bulk section though just for fun......

Mark

[ebpizza]

I use whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes as well.

I use a stick blender to quickly break up each tomatoe, try not to blend the entire contents, just each tomatoe for about 1 second.

I then heat about 3 TBS of Extra Virgin Olive oil in a 3QT sauce pan and add one teaspoon of kosher salt

Bring it to a rapid boiled, then after a minute, lower to med (not simmer).

Cook for about 20mins.

Take a look at my pic

[canadave]

Ah, yes, we do have Superstore out here in abundance...unfortunately I've checked both the retail AND the wholesale outlet, and neither has any outstanding sauce.  They do have some good backup sauce (by Unico), but it's not exactly brilliant.

ebpizza, thanks for sharing your method.  So what you're saying is that my problem is probably that I didn't break up the tomatoes enough?  Also, I assume you're saying that your sauce does NOT include the juice from the can (you drain the packing juice before you begin?)

[Trinity]

My latest pizza sauce recipe 

1 12 oz can Hunts tomato puree,

2 teaspoons granulated sugar,

2 tablespoons evoo,

2 tablespoons grated parm/romo cheese  (kraft),

1 pinch dried oregeno

2 pinch's basil leaf

dash garlic salt, and a dash of black pepper.


Combine, stir well,  All done!!!

Keep in a cool spot in the refridgerator.

[canadianbacon]

Sounds good Trinity 

I've never made any sauce myself.  I will  have to try one day soon.

I wonder how many places down there add a little cinnamon to their sauce.... we do up here,
in Montreal, all pizza places do it, - the cinnamon is very subtle though, if you didn't know it was in there
then you couldn't put your finger on the taste, but if somebody told you, you just might be able to say it was there,
it's a very light hint of it..... it gives the sauce something good, I don't know what it is, but it's good.

Mark

[ebpizza]

I use the entire contents of the can (including the puree that is packed with the tomatoes)

Try to break up all the individual tomatoes with a stick blender, or if you must, use a blender with QUICK  QUICK pulse set at chop.


What brand of tomatoes are you using

[canadave]

Hmmm...so before you cook the sauce, it's pretty liquidy, right?  And after cooking it's smooth and creamy, not liquid?

I use different Italian brands of San Marzano--doesn't seem to make any difference, they all turn out the same for me--crappy lumpy messes

[ebpizza]

Yes, before you cook it is is thin and liquidy

Bring it to a boil, let it cook for about 3-5 mins, the lower to MED (not simmer) and cook for about 20 mins.

After you cook it, it will thicken a bit, you dont want it to become too thick like a paste.

If you cook your pizza in a hot oven, it will thicken while it cooks.

Don't give up on the San Marzano sauce. It is worth the effort

In Italy the tomatoes are put onto the pizzas raw and the 700+ degree oven cook them.


I found this on the 'net

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?s=6b5f9243bf46b8f63da13ec7824e0126&showtopic=45154

[canadave]

Thanks....I think the biggest problems in my technique are not cooking high enough temp, and also not shredding the tomatoes thoroughly enough.  *sigh* I'll give it ONE more shot, although my wife is starting to look askance at me each time I bring home ANOTHER can of San Marzano tomatoes.....

Dave

[Pizza Bum]

Here is a pizza sauce recipe I have just started using.

1 28 oz. can of 6 in 1 tomatoes

2 cloves of Garlic finly chopped

3 tablespoons of olive oil

a pinch of crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon of sugar (optional, I like mine sweet)

1 Teaspoon of oregano

Salt to taste

heat the three tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet (this will help in reduction)

saute garlic and crushed red pepper till garlic turns a nice golden color.

Add your tomatoe sauce, sugar and salt.

simmer for 20 to 30 minutes untill desired thickness. allow to cool prior to use on pizza.

Hope this helps, Bummy

[Pizza Bum]

Sorry I forgot the 1 teaspoon of mediteranian oregano to the above post, Bummy

[ebpizza]

see also

http://www.allbaking.net/ch/1999/june/pizzaanyway2.html

[canadave]

see also

http://www.allbaking.net/ch/1999/june/pizzaanyway2.html

LOL...that link is the recipe I was using!   I think I just didn't do it right.  Now that my oven is finally fixed (yay!), I'm going to try giving it another shot within the next few days hopefully.

dave

[duckjob]

My sauce is a work in progress, and will depend on what kind of pizza I am making, but I use this for my NY style pizzas which is what I make most of the time.

28 oz can of 6 in 1 crushed tomatoes
14 oz can of San Marzano chopped peeled tomatoes
6   oz can of tomato paste

2 tsb of olive oil

1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder, or clove of fresh garlic
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper

I combine everything into a sauce pan, once it starts to bubble i turn the heat to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. The paste and simmering for 30 minutes gives the sauce a consistency i like. Not to thick, but not all watery.