With the arrival of autumn and the first frost, we want to get back into the kitchen to concoct little cocooning recipes. Tomato sauce is one of the essentials and is the basis of our favorite dishes. Find out how baking soda will revolutionize your sauce, as explained by Marc Laslande, chef in Tarn-et-Garonne.
For our pastas, pizzas, lasagna, meat or fish, nothing beats a good homemade tomato sauce. But how to succeed? Sometimes too thick, too liquid, too bland or too acidic… Here are some chef’s tips for preparing a succulent sauce.
Everyone knows that the worst enemy of tomato sauce is acidity. We simmer our little sauce with love for hours, believing that we are going to enjoy it. But at the time of tasting it is disappointing, the hint of acidity takes precedence over the rest of the dish and comes to spoil the pleasure.
Read also: Keep bread fresh for 2 weeks with a simple trick: no need to freeze it
To reconcile with tomato sauce, a few tips should be applied. You should know that the acidity will be more or less pronounced depending on the variety of tomatoes and their degree of maturity. Also be aware that it is the seeds that concentrate most of the acidity, so it is better to remove them for cooking.
The best known trick that many already practice to reduce the acidity of the sauce is to add a little sugar. Yes it works, but in reality the sugar only covers the acidity and does not eliminate it. In addition, it can alter the taste of the sauce and make it too sweet, not to mention people who cannot consume it.
That’s the whole point of baking soda.. Indeed, as we learn in cooking school, it has the property of neutralizing the acidity of foods and regulating their PH. By adding a few pinches to your sauce while cooking, you can sweeten it without altering its taste. You will see some bubbles forming on the surface of the sauce, proof of the chemical reaction taking place. In addition, this is particularly interesting for people who have a fragile stomach and who do not tolerate acidic foods well. This also applies to the preparation of your fruit coulis or your jams.
If you don’t have baking soda on hand, you can always cook your tomatoes with a nice fresh carrot or a date, to bring a natural sweetness that will correct the acidity.
Add baking soda to your tomato sauce. Source: spm
Flavor tips for a fragrant tomato sauce
Another recurring problem with tomato sauce is its lack of taste. Here are some simple tips to take your taste buds on a journey and transport your guests to the shores of the Mediterranean.
1-Choose Your Tomatoes Wisely : it is possible to cook the sauce with very ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and crushed or whole tinned tomatoes. On the other hand, never take the tomato puree as a sauce base. You can just add a hazelnut at the end of cooking to enhance the color, no more. The best tomatoes are those with low water content and few seeds such as San Marzano, Big Mama, Roma or Juliette tomato. Cherry tomatoes are also very fragrant.
2-Olive oil : just as you can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs, you can’t make tomato sauce without olive oil. It is the obligatory ingredient after tomatoes, salt and pepper and alone brings the flavor of Italy to your plate. It can be used at the start of cooking to brown the ingredients and add a drizzle at the end to accentuate the taste.
3-Garlic & onion : they will give flavor and depth to your sauce. Fry them in olive oil first before adding the tomatoes. Be careful not to color them too much at the risk of bringing bitterness to your sauce.
4-Aromatic herbs : thyme, bay leaf, oregano, rosemary, parsley, basil… There is something for everyone, to add according to the flavors you like. They give character to the sauce provided you use them well. Aromatic herbs, in order not to be altered and to release the maximum flavor, must be added at the end of cooking.
Read also: Why should you never wash a raw turkey before cooking it?
5-The cooking : there are different types and consistencies of sauce depending on the recipe, more liquid or more reduced. For pasta, cook quickly over high heat in a large skillet for 15 to 20 minutes for a fresh and fluid result. For lasagna or a roast, opt instead for a simmered and reduced sauce, cooked over low heat in a thick saucepan, with a cooking time of 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Olive oil and aromatic herbs. Source: spm
Now that you know all about tomato sauce and its secrets, all you have to do is put yourself in the kitchen to bring Italy to your plate.
Read also: How do you remove a bleach stain from clothes?
Via SPM
