Sunday, June 20, 2010

Making The Perfect Pizza Sauce

Putting the right sauce on your pizza can make the difference between a delicious meal and one you could not care less about. Knowing the right ingredients to make a great pizza sauce can elevate your homemade pies to the realm of gourmet eating.

Tomatoes form the basis of pizza sauce. Fresh plum tomatoes are meaty and have traditionally been used for tomato sauce of all kinds. Once they are picked, they will need to be blanched, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped before cooking. If fresh tomatoes are not available, you can always use canned tomatoes. They are available year round.

Which Canned Tomatoes?

It is easy to find canned tomatoes at your local market. You will find them whole, chopped, diced, or crushed. Tomato puree and paste is also available. They are more concentrated. Combining both types can make for a great sauce. If you have a few fresh tomatoes, you can add them in as well. All tomatoes should be a bright red in color when the can is opened. A darker color indicates that they used too much heat in the processing, and an orange hue suggests the tomatoes were under ripe.

Whatever tomatoes you have chosen will need to be cooked together in a pan. Chopped tomatoes can be added for more texture. Cook the mixture over a low heat, with frequent stirring. Keep watching the pot so the sauce does not cook overlong.

Seasonings

With a thick tomato base, all that is needed are your herbs and spices to make delicious pizza sauce recipes. Pepper, salt and some garlic are the necessary ingredients to round out your sauce. A little sugar comes in handy as well to help cut the acidity of the tomatoes. If you used fresh, low acid tomatoes, it might not be needed.

Herbs are almost always added to pizza sauce. Oregano is the most popular herb. Marjoram is similar to oregano, and can be substituted in a pinch. Basil is another traditional Italian herb that is frequently used in sauce. Some cooks also add bay leaf (remove before using the sauce), parsley, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, and other culinary herbs.

If you like your sauce spicy, add a little cayenne, red pepper flakes or hot paprika. Remember that a little goes a long way. A little pinch adds some punch to your sauce. If some family members are not into spice, you can keep your red pepper flakes on the table to be applied as desired by your diners when they sit down to eat.

Olive oil is a traditional Italian ingredient. A little olive oil in your sauce will add that bit of authenticity to the flavor. For full olive taste, choose an olive oil that is green in color. For added richness and depth, you may want to add a bit of your favorite wine to the sauce.

Source: articlesnatch


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