Tuscan Tomato Sauce Recipes

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes; add beef and cook, stirring to break into small chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Stir stewed tomatoes and tomato paste with the beef mixture until smooth; add mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, sugar, nutmeg, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes.
• Stir baking soda into the sauce. Continue cooking until you can taste a reduction in acidity of the sauce, about 10 minutes more.

BASIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl around the olive oil to coat the pan, and when the oil is hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, just long enough to release the garlic's fragrance and transform it slightly from its raw state. Don't cook it to golden.
• Raise the heat to high and stir in the tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the basil sprig, if using. Remove the basil before serving and swirl in the butter, if using.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil.
• Empty plum tomatoes into large bowl and squash with your hands.
• Add all ingredients (including any meatballs or sausage you want to add) to pot and simmer for 3 hours.

TUSCAN WHITE BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place beans in a large pot. Cover with water and stir in baking soda. Soak for 8 to 12 hours.
• Rinse beans and return to the pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender yet firm to the bite, about 25 minutes. Drain beans, reserving the water, and set aside.
• Heat the same pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Saute garlic and sage in the hot oil until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add drained beans. Stir and let the beans absorb the aroma of the garlic and sage. Add tomato sauce. Gently stir and simmer until the beans are soft but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. Use reserved cooking water to keep the sauce from burning, but the sauce should be thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

ITALIAN-STYLE SAUSAGE IN A TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Prick through the skin of the sausages in several spots using a fork.
• Put the sausages in a saucepan, cover them with water then bring to a boil.
• Cover and simmer 5 min.
• Take the sausages out of the water, pat them dry, then cut each sausage into 3 or 4 pieces.
• Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat.
• Add the garlic and rosemary sprig, then sauté until the oil becomes perfumed with the garlic and rosemary aroma, 3 to 4 min.
• Pay attention not to let them burn.
• Add the sausages, then sauté until they become lightly coloured, 2 to 3 min.
• Turn them a few times while cooking.
• Add the tomato sauce then cook 8-10 min over medium heat, tossing occasionally.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve.

DEFALCO'S AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, sausages and onions and cook until lightly brown.
• Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and 1/2 can water, bring to a simmer. Add the tomato puree, 1/2 can of water and simmer again. Repeat with the tomato sauce, again adding 1/2 can of water and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the tomato paste and cook through.
• Add the basil, parsley, marsala wine, pepper, salt and sugar into the pot and stir. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently.

TUSCAN CHICKEN IN CREAMY SUN DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Trim the chicken breasts to remove any fatty parts.
• Whisk the egg lightly in a shallow bowl.
• In a separate shallow bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika and garlic salt.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) on a medium-to-high heat.
• Dip the chicken breasts in the egg, then dredge in the flour mixture.
• Place the chicken in the pan and fry on both sides until golden.
• Take the chicken out of the pan and place on a tray in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking whilst you make the sauce.
• Add the oil to the pan and heat on a medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften.
• Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, sun dried tomatoes, red pepper and tomato puree. Cook for 2 minutes, moving around the pan with a spatula.
• Next pour in the wine and allow to bubble for 2 minutes,
• Now add the chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the cream, parmesan and the spinach to the sauce and stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts.
• Remove the chicken from the oven. Check it's done (insert a knife into the fattest piece of one of the chicken breasts - it should no longer be pink) and place in the pan with the sauce and cook for another couple of minutes.
• Serve topped with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Tastes great with pasta, courgetti (zoodles), rice or saute potatoes.

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Before you begin, pour your two cans of tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hand. Don't break them up too small, you want large chunks.
• In a large heavy bottomed pot with a lid, on a burner with no flame, pour in olive oil and add red pepper flakes, garlic, onion, most of the oregano, basil and mint (save a little bit of each for the end), sugar salt and pepper. Turn on the burner and slowly bring up to hot. When the onions and garlic start to cook, stir and heat for five minutes.
• Remove the pot from the burner and place a heat diffuser over the burner. Place the pot over the heat diffuser and add the tomatoes. Turn burner to medium high and stir until they start to boil. Then reduce to simmer, partially cover and simmer 90 minutes.
• After 90 minutes, remove from heat and add the reserved herbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the butter to round out the flavors. Stir again and serve.

SAN MARZANO TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook garlic: In a large pot on LOW-MEDIUM heat sauté garlic in olive oil for 30-60 seconds. Stir constantly to keep garlic from burning.
• Add tomatoes and simmer: pour canned tomatoes with juices in with the garlic. Add tomato paste, salt, and black pepper. Mix ingredients together, partially cover with lid - but not completely, and simmer on LOW heat for 4+ hours. Stir every so often to avoid burning. Note: if using a parmesan rind, add it in this step and let it simmer with sauce until finished. Remove and discard rind when ready to serve.
• For smooth sauce: when sauce is finished cooking, use a hand immersion-blender to puree. Note: If you prefer a chunkier/thicker sauce (like I do), you can skip this step as the San Marzanos naturally break down while cooking.
• Add herbs: when sauce is finished, mix in chopped fresh herbs. Season with additional salt & black pepper if needed and serve!

AUTHENTIC (QUICK) ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE FOR PASTA

Steps:

• Pour the oil into a large saute pan (not a deep pot) over medium high heat. Crush the garlic and add it to the oil (if you want a spicy sauce, you can add some hot pepper, fresh or flakes, at this point). Saute the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley.
• Turn the heat up to high. Now add the tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides. Stir with a wooden spoon and lower the heat a little. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly.
• Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often.
• The sauce will thicken quickly, so do not overcook it, and have it become too thick; about 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient.
• Taste the sauce, if it doesn't taste delicious, it probably just needs a little more salt. Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil (I tear mine into pieces). Also, unless absolutely necessary, do not wash your basil. Wipe it with a damp paper towel instead, so the water doesn't ruin the flavor and aroma.
• Add sauce to the drained pasta (save some pasta water to add back into the pasta in case it's too dry), and enjoy immediately with some freshly grated authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and/or pepper.
• Also, if you've been plating pasta in a bowl, then topping it with sauce, this is American-style. If you want to serve it the way they do in Italy, mix the sauce in and then plate it.

TUSCAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir about 5 min or until tender.
• Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, rosemary and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 6-10 min or until it has reached the desired consistency is reached - stirring occasionally.

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the Olive oil in a Large frying pan/Skillet until very hot.
• Add onions and stir until soft and slightly brown.Turn down the heat and add the garlic and Red wine. Leave for 1-2 mins.
• Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and bay leaves, turn the heat down and leave to simmer for approx 5 mins stirring occasionally. If using fresh tomatoes allow them to reduce slowly, this will take approx 20 mins.
• Once mixture has simmered add puree and stir in, simmer for a further 5 mins.
• Remove from the heat and cool. Sauce can be refrigerated for use later on, If using for Pizza topping use a blender until smooth and spread on pizza using the back of a spoon. If using for bolognese, brown mince and add when ready.

TUSCAN-STYLE TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• 1) Wash the tomatoes in cold water. Cut them in half lengthwise. Place in a heavy saucepan (I use an All Clad sauce pan, the tomatoes should fill no higher than 1/2 the height of the pan), COVER, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. (If using canned tomatoes, ignore this step and start at step #3 with 4 cups of canned tomatoes with their juice) 2) Meanwhile, put 3-4 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a small sauté pan, place it on medium heat and sauté the carrots for 10 minutes. (The goal here is to get them to soften up a bit before added to the sauce to make it easier to pass through the food mill later. If you have an "industrial strength" food mill, this step is not necessary, proceed straight to step #3). 3) Add the carrots, onion, salt (I recommend 11⁄2 teaspoons for this quantity, but this needs to be adjusted for personal taste and health considerations accordingly) and sugar and cook at a steady simmer UNCOVERED, for 30 minutes. 4) Purée everything through a food mill into fresh pan (or transfer the sauce to another pan or bowl and purée it back into this saucepan), using the disc with the smallest holes. This is the most arduous step, but it's important to use the right disc to remove the skin and seeds, and you want to end up with no more than 1⁄2 cup of vegetable matter left in the food mill to maximize the flavor of the sauce. Make sure and scrape off the bottom of the disc with a spatula to get all of the puréed vegetables. Get the kids to help if your arms get tired! This step takes about 10-15 minutes. 5) Add the remaining olive oil (what wasn't used to sauté the carrots) to the sauce and cook UNCOVERED for an additional 15 minutes. Taste and correct for salt. Note: This sauce is well suited for most kinds of pasta, and can be used on top of Italian style meatloaf with great results. If frozen, defrost and simmer lightly, UNCOVERED, for just 10 minutes.