Basic Tomato Sauce from Fresh San Marzano

Making the tomato sauce from fresh San Marzano tomatoes at home is a dream come true for me! It’s easy and fun!

I never imagined that I could spot San Marzano tomatoes in my city i.e. Bangalore. But thanks to my supermarket, I could accomplish what I wished for a long time.

San Marzano is the traditional Italian tomatoes used to make the classic tomato sauce for Italian pastas and pizzas.

These San Marzano tomatoes are sold in canned version which is also a rare thing here and insanely expensive due to import duties.

But just out of the blues, I recently spotted fresh San Marzano tomatoes in my supermarket which is sourced from a local farmer specialized for rare vegetables.

Regular tomatoes are heavily used in Indian curries and are in abundance everywhere but San Marzano tomatoes are something which we Indians have hardly heard of.

So, finally today I am making the basic tomato sauce from fresh San Marzano tomatoes which is really a long-awaited dream coming true!

Quite a long time ago, I shared the recipe of marinara sauce using our regular Indian tomatoes which I used to use for pizzas and pasta and that recipe still holds its place.

Due to the difference in taste and texture between the two types of tomatoes I used in these two recipes, the final product will be somewhat different, but the basic process is same.

Earlier I was not into video recipes, so this time it seemed to be a good idea to have the steps recorded and I hope our videos help you to achieve the best results out of our recipes.

This video of basic tomato sauce from fresh San Marzano tomatoes shows you the few steps needed to make this easy sauce at home and the best part is you can customize and control the seasoning you want in your tomato sauce.

Sometimes readymade bottled sauces are either too salty or seasoned with some herb which you don’t like much. Homemade tomato sauce gives you all the flexibility and it’s the best you can ever get. Enjoy!

Basic Tomato Sauce from Fresh San Marzano

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: Priyanka

Recipe type: Condiment

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: About 2 cups of sauce

Ingredients

• San Marzano tomato – 1.5 kg
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Red wine – ¼ cup (optional)
• Tomato puree – ½ cup
• Oregano – 2 tsp
• Salt – 2 tsp
• Fresh basil leaves – 1 cup

Instructions

1. Wash the San Marzano tomatoes thoroughly. Make a crisscross slit at the bottom of each tomatoes to ensure easy peeling after cooking them.
2. Cook the tomatoes in salted boiling water for about 10 minutes until they are soft. Take them out using a slotted spoon and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop further cooking. This will also ensure that the tomatoes retain their bright red color.
3. Once the tomatoes are cold enough, peel off the skin and deseed them. Set them aside.
4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic paste to it. Quickly sauté them on low for few seconds and then add the peeled and deseeded tomatoes.
5. Sauté the tomatoes on medium heat for few minutes. Then add a splash of red wine for a nice depth of flavor although it is optional. Cook on high until the alcohol evaporates.
6. Next add the tomato puree and mix well. Season the tomato sauce with dried oregano & salt and mix them well.
7. Add about a cup of water and bring it to boil. Then using a hand blender, churn the tomatoes lightly to break any large pieces. If you don’t have a hand blender, you can chop the tomatoes to small pieces before adding them into the oil.
8. Finally add fresh basil leaves and bring the sauce to your desired consistency. The sauce is ready to use for pizzas or pastas. You can store them in freezer for upto 3 months.

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