Sauce Tomate, Perfect Pasta Pairings.

Every good series must come to an end. I have saved the most complex mother sauce for the end of this series, and have been doing more research on this lovely, rich, and savory sauce. Sauce tomate has its roots in Naples, Italy, but through progression, French chef Auguste Escoffier refined this sauce to become a staple of modern day cooking.

Today, we are going to learn the proper way of creating a sauce tomate, and will briefly go over what daughter sauces may be made utilizing this near perfect sauce. You may use this sauce to compliment any Italian style pasta dishes, as well as a a plethora of poultry and beef dishes. You may also use this recipe to dip bread, or use as a classic pizza sauce.

This recipe is derived from Auguste Escoffier’s recipe, made famous in his cookbook “Le Guide Culinaire,” published in 1903, so without further ado, here is how we prepare and make this classic mother sauce:

-What We Need-

• 2.5 Ounces Salt Pork, Diced(this is pork belly that has been cured with salt, and not smoked like bacon)

• 3 Ounces Carrot, Medium Diced(if you don’t have a scale, half of one large carrot)

• 3 Ounces Onion, Medium Diced(about half of a large onion)

• 1 Bay Leaf

• 1 Sprig of Thyme

• 2 Ounces Unsalted Butter

• 2.5 Ounces All Purpose Flour

• 5 Pounds of Fresh Tomatoes, Mashed(I personally prefer San Marzano tomatoes, which I grow in my garden in the summer months, but you can also get canned San Marzano tomatoes at the supermarket, but fresh tomatoes are ideal)

• 1 Quart Veal Stock(You can substitute chicken or vegetable stock if you can’t find veal stock)

• 1 Clove Crushed Garlic

• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste

• Pinch of sugar

-Let’s Make it-

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In a large oven safe sauté pan or medium sized oven safe stock pot, fry the salt pork over medium-medium high heat until all the fat is rendered(the fat from the pork will go slightly translucent and become a very soft consistency) and the salt pork has browned around the edges(known as the Maillard reaction, the same reaction responsible for caramelizing onions and toasting bread)

3) Once the fat has rendered and your salt pork has crisped up around the edges, add your carrots, onions, bay leaf and thyme to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium so that you don’t burn the herbs, yet you can still cook your vegetables.

4) Once everything is stirred together, add your all purpose flour to the pan, stirring constantly to create a roux with the fats that are in the pan.

5) When your roux and vegetables in the pan have browned slightly, add all of your veal stock(or chicken/vegetable stock) and your mashed tomatoes, and mix thoroughly, then bring your mixture to a boil.

6) Once your mixture boils, add a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, as well as the clove of crushed garlic, and a pinch of sugar, stir everything together.

7) Slide your oven safe pan into your preheated oven, and cook for 90 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

8) Remove your sauce from the oven, and pass it through a mesh strainer, using the backside of a spoon to push it through your strainer.

9) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*You can serve this sauce hot or cold, and cover the top of the sauce with plastic wrap to keep the sauce from forming a skin from fats that are going to react to the collagen in sauce. There are some people that add parmesan cheese to their tomato sauce, yet this results in an acidic sauce, which then is compensated by adding sugar. Don’t make this mistake, and always use cheeses when serving to finish your dish(e.g. on top of your pasta dish or on top of the sauce in general after cooking it) instead of during the cooking process.

Sauce Tomate is a classic sauce with many different applications in our daily culinary life. As with the other mother sauces, there are variations and additions to this sauce that can make plenty of daughter sauces. Some of these daughter sauces include ketchup, hot sauce, creole sauce, vodka sauce, marinara and much more.

Over all, this Mother sauce series has been an absolute blast to create. We have covered béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and sauce tomate, and with these mother sauces, a few recipes that incorporate them. I’m looking forward to releasing more recipes other than the basics, so stay tuned for future updates.

As Always. Stay Happy. Stay Healthy. Stay Cooking.