Six tips for the perfect tomato sauce
We don’t feel like slaving away in the kitchen for hours, but we do want that ultimate pasta sauce that smells as if you’re standing in the middle of an Italian kitchen. Sugo di pomodoro it is. This light, classic tomato sauce is your culinary wildcard: just five ingredients and a little patience, that’s all you need. The pan does the work, you get the compliments.
What you need for a perfect tomato sauce
The perfect tomato sauce? Simple, but sacred. With a base of good ripe tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and patience. No fuss, no frills; just a pan of love gently simmering until your nonna would be proud.
1. The tomatoes
They should shine in this sauce. So it’s important to choose the very best variety. You may be tempted to reach for vine tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes at the supermarket, but they don’t make the cut here. In fact: fresh isn’t always better. Here’s why: in Italy, they make sugo di pomodoro with Roma tomatoes, also called plum tomatoes. These oval, slightly sweet tomatoes are nice and firm because they contain little moisture. Perfect sauce tomatoes. One problem: you won’t always find them at the supermarket. And that’s why canned Roma tomatoes are our saviour.
2. The garlic: sauté it briefly
You can finely chop the garlic and sauté it briefly in the pan. Keep the heat low and pay close attention, because if the garlic gets too brown, it develops a bitter flavour that you’ll definitely taste in your sauce. Want to take it a step further? Read this ultimate garlic tip. This gives you almost the sweet flavour of roasted garlic, while it still retains a little sharpness. That will give the sauce just the extra depth you’re looking for.
3. The onion: not essential, but delicious
There are differences of opinion about this. Does it actually belong in the sauce? Italian star chef Giorgio Locatelli says no, while others consider it essential. Why? The onion, preferably a yellow one, is said to balance the acidity of the tomato. We think it’s a matter of taste. Your sauce really won’t taste worse without it. In short: nothing is wrong. Not even red onion; The River Café uses that too in its sauce.
4. The herbs: finely chopped
Rosemary? Sage? Parsley? There are indeed recipes that say you should stir these herbs into the sauce. We keep it basic and opt for basil, as Locatelli does too. He adds the finely chopped leaves once the sauce is already cooking. This releases the flavours perfectly without letting them become overpowering. That doesn’t happen so quickly with basil anyway – it gives your sauce a subtle flavour, and that’s what we want.
5. The olive oil: extra virgin
We choose a generous splash of olive oil, preferably extra virgin, to boost the flavour a little more. For an extra creamy sauce, you can always add a knob of butter at the end.
6. Simmering: never skip it!
Anyone who thinks you can whip up this easy tomato sauce in ten minutes is mistaken. Okay, once all the ingredients are in the pan, you don’t really have to do anything else, just be patient. Why? The sauce needs time to develop its flavour. That doesn’t happen in a few minutes. The liquid has to cook out of the tomatoes, which in turn makes the flavour more intense. Around 50 minutes of slow simmering should be enough, but if you want to be sure the sauce is ready, just taste it.
Leftover sauce?
Did you know that this sauce also forms the basis of other classic Italian pastas? Arrabbiata (spicy, with peperoncino), puttanesca, and amatriciana (with guanciale and Pecorino Romano) can be put together super quickly the next day using your leftover sauce. In the mood for even more quick pastas? We’ve got you covered. These 5 pastas are ready in 10 minutes.
Also read:
