Basic tomato sauce recipe for pasta

[Nine Bob Note]

oooh a tomato sauce recipee with no onion. that is pretty fucking cool.

C'est revolutionnaire! In fact, there are hoardes of berét-wearing Frenchmen cycling towards me; smoking black cigarrettes and brandishing crusty baguettes in a most menacing manner.

 

[Cid]

You clearly just don't know how to cook onions.

 

[Not a Vet]

I don't use onions. My basic tomato sauce is:

Large pan which you add olive oil (I use a good quality extra virgin but thats optional). You need to fully cover the base of the pan (almost a lake).
I then add chopped garlic and mushrooms or courgettes
Fry for 30 secs max (you do not want burnt garlic)
Then add chopped fresh toms ( I normally use plums, 2 punnets, full size, midi or pomodorino plus af ew cherries or similar). There is no hard or fast rule here, every sauce is different, the more interesting the tomato, the more interesting the sauce.
This is then cooked for 30 to 40 mins on a very low heat until its broken down.
Season to taste
I then finish with Basel (either fresh or that stuff you get in a tube)
I don't add sugar
Granted, whist simple its not particularly cheap but if you then add as I do, either cooked pork mince (for Bol, its so much less sweet than beef) or meatballs or sausages, its heaven.
The only other tip is to leave it to cool slightly and it will thicken

 

[lyra_k]

I don't use onions either, I would fry the chopped onions and carrots before the meat if I was making a spag bol, but if I was just making a tomato sauce (like for a pizza topping) it would just be passata, garlic, black pepper, chili flakes, basil and oregano and a tiny bit of salt (in other words, wot everyone else said). I'm terrible for cooking everything at full blast but I have learned finally that a slow simmer is definitely best with passasa/toms.

 

[_pH_]

1 onion, finely chopped

lightly fry in olive oil till softening.

bung in 2 tins of toms, some herbs, bit of pepper.

simmer till reduced.

eat straight from saucepan

 

[Kanda]

People that don't use onions should be 1st against the wall

 

[Spark]

Why? I sometimes use them and sometimes don't, depends what I want to eat at the time I'm cooking.

 

[Geri]

Well, I made this last night. I used loads of olive oil, fried up three cloves of garlic and two red chillies, added the prawns, then some passata (only had to use about 1/4 of it). Oh, and some fresh basil.

Cooked the tagliatelle then mixed it up all up, and it was bloody gorgeous, even if I do say so myself!

Still one of my favourites

 

[ringo]

My littlun has become an expert on these over the last two weeks, switching daily between penne pomodoro all'amatriciana (tomato, garlic and chilli flakes) and spaghetti al pomodoro e basilico (tomato and fresh basil).

 

[dilute micro]

I make is this in a frying pan: (not basic but who cares)

tomato puree
fresh tomatoes peeled chopped and mashed
olive oil
red wine
chanterelle mushrooms
basil, oregano, salt, ground pepper
sometimes a dash of garlic powder

 

[seeformiles]

1 chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic

fry in olive oil until soft

add 1/2 tsp sugar and fry some more
add tin of tomatoes and glass of wine
add handful of fresh basil plus some rosemary and thyme
throw in bayleaf

season with salt and pepper and bit of chilli

reduce until thick

 

[Grobelaar]

good glug of extra virgin olive oil, while the pan is still warming up add lots of chopped garlic - as the oil heats up the garlic cooks, then add good quality tinned tomatoes. I've noticed that some supermarkets are now carrying some proper italian brands of tinned tomatoes - go for these - they might be 70-80p a tin, but the extra 20-30p is worth it, 'specially since the sauce is simple and pretty cost effective.

Mash up the tomatoes, bring to a boil and then reduce to a steady simmer. Simmer for 45-60mins, until the sauce has reduced and become thick and the tomato flesh has broken down. test, out of season even tinned toms can be a bit acidic - a bit of sugar will fix this - but not too much you don't want to end up with Dolmio.

Remove from heat, add a good glug more of extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh basil if desired and check seasoning.