Posted on 04 May 2010 by tomatocasual.com
By David Harbilas
In the last post we discussed the well-known diavolo sauce, and while Italian cuisine is sometimes thought of as simple or rustic it is also diverse.
Amatriciana sauce is perhaps not as well known as diavolo, but it showcases the tomato’s affinity for spice in a different way.
The addition of pancetta, the non-smoked, cured bacon, or its cousin, guanciale, lends smoky-salty quality, while also providing a degree of fat that isn’t found in diavolo.
This sauce is traditionally served with bucatini pasta, a hollow, spaghetti-like noodle. It also pairs well with any short, ridged pasta, such as fusilli or penne, and is one of the few tomato sauces that, in my mind, pairs well with wine, especially the deeper-bodied reds produced in northern Italy.
yields about 2 quarts
Posted on 10 April 2010 by tomatocasual.com
By David Harbilas
In our last post we covered some of the thoughts about tomato sauce in general and its uses.
Now we’ll actually get to making it.
First, an explanation on its variations.
Some call for carrots, some don’t. I do like the use of carrots, not just for their sweetness but also for the thickness they provide the final sauce as well as a certain savory quality that is lost when carrots are omitted. There are also some recipes that call for either red or white wine, while some use neither. I prefer a little white wine, as its acidic and sugary qualities pair well with the tomatoes. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 08 April 2010 by tomatocasual.com
By David Harbilas
Tomato sauce is a study, not only in the tomato but in the use of the sauce itself.
Nearly all are made with some kind of canned tomato, and all are a suitable sauce for pasta.
Not all are good, and many are mediocre or even bad. So what makes a good tomato sauce?
First and foremost, use the best quality canned tomatoes you can find. Generally, most Italian plum tomatoes are of excellent quality, generally due to a combination of the Italian climate, soil, and care taken into their cultivation. Another detail that many home cooks overlook is the use of whole, peeled canned tomatoes rather than crushed or pureed tomatoes.
There are many reasons to use whole tomatoes. First, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 12 March 2009 by tomatocasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
One of my favorite hobbies (besides my number one passion - gardening - of course!) is cooking from scratch.
When I was in community college, I took some cooking classes.
Italian cooking still reigns as my favorite course.
Many nights I will make my own tomato sauce to go with pasta. It makes an easy dish to serve to my friends.
However, people run into a problem if they ask for my recipe. I don’t use one - I just throw together whatever sounds good that day. It usually works out quite well.
Today I will describe my “recipe” on how to throw together your own tomato sauce.
It all begins with the tomatoes, of course. Paste tomatoes like Roma will make the best sauce. It will be especially flavorful if you use one of the heirloom varieties. Each tomato will make about 1/5 cup of sauce, so figure out how many you will need. I like to leave the Read the rest of this entry »
