sauce essentials: aunt jo’s robust tomato sauce

How To Make sauce essentials: aunt jo’s robust tomato sauce

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  Step 1
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 2
  What you will need? This sauce is made in a single pot. My two suggestions would be a good non-reactive stainless-steel pot, like All-Clad, or a coated Dutch oven, like Le Creuset. What you DO NOT want is an uncoated cast-iron pan or anything aluminum. Cast iron or aluminum are called reactive metals, and over a long cooking time, they will react with the acids in the sauce and create a bitter, metallic taste.
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  Step 3
  What to serve with it? It is a tomato sauce, so things like pastas, pizza, calzones, anything you would normally use a good full-bodied sauce.
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  Step 4
  How to store it? Because homemade sauces do not contain any preservatives, it is important to store them properly. Non-reactive (glass) containers with tight-fitting lids are a must. When I am doing homemade sauces, I love using Weck jars. They are glass, come in all sizes and shapes, and have excellent leakproof lids. If you shop online, you can go to Amazon, type in “Weck Jars” and you will find a ton of them. They last forever, unless you break them, and they are very reasonable, price wise. If properly stored, this sauce should last 8 – 10 days in the fridge. FYI: This sauce can be frozen, and in which case it will last for six months or more.
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  Step 5
  What is up with that carrot? Most canned tomatoes need a bit of help to mellow and slightly sweeten them. Many folks use sugar, but my aunt preferred to use a carrot, peeled and cut in half. It gives the sauce a balance between sweet-and-garden that is hard to replicate with just sugar.
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  Step 6
  A Little Backstory It is mid-morning on a beautiful Autumn day in Oak Brook, IL. The leaves are falling out of the trees and with every puff of cool air, they silently drop to the ground and carpet the lawns in multicolor hues of browns, oranges, reds, and yellows. In those days, it was legal to burn leaves, and already several neighbors were raking leaves and setting them ablaze. The heady fragrance infused the air with the smells of Autumn, as grey smoke slowly ascended up into the bright blue azure sky. My dad dropped me off at Aunt Josephine’s, and as he drove away, he yelled back, SEE YOU AROUND 6:OO. It is Saturday, and my Aunt Josephine is making a big pot of homemade pasta, along with one of her sauces, with meatballs, and sausages. When my dad said that he will see us around 6:00, he meant him, my sister, mom, several aunts, uncles, and various cousins… about 12 – 15 folks. Besides the pasta, there will be an Italian salad, fresh crusty bread, and vino (even us kids got a sip). But it is not just about our every-other-Saturday at my Aunt Jo’s, it is that she has deemed me old enough to help her make the meal (I was 9 or 10). A lot of years separate me from that experience, but it was the first time my Aunt trusted me enough to actually make a recipe. When we all sat down, and everyone praised her for the wonderful pasta and sauce, she looked over at me and gave me a loving wink. I will never forget that… it was the first day I went from just prepping things like veggies, to actually cooking. And what a wonderful journey it has been so far.
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  Step 7
  Cooking Class on Tomatoes When I made this sauce with my Aunt Jo, we used fresh, farmer’s market plum tomatoes; however, canned tomatoes have evolved quite a bit since then, and in some cases I consider them superior to store-bought varieties. Here is something I posted on working with canned tomatoes, check it out. If you are wondering what brand I prefer, they are DOT certified Muir Glen. I use one can of crushed, and one can of diced or whole peeled. My second choice would be San Marzano. Sometimes I use a can of regular, and one can of fire roasted… just to spice things up a bit. https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/soup/soup-other-soup/cooking-class-the-best-canned-tomatoes.html
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  Step 8
  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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  Step 9
  In a large stainless-steel pot over medium heat, sauté garlic in the heated olive oil for 30-60 seconds.
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  Step 10
  Stir constantly to keep garlic from burning.
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  Step 11
  Add canned tomatoes with juices and stir to combine, until the sauce comes to a simmer, about 5 - 8 minutes. Keep the temp low.
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  Step 12
  Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, and the carrot.
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  Step 13
  Mix ingredients together, partially cover with lid, and simmer on low heat for about 3 hours.
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  Step 14
  Stir every so often to avoid burning.
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  Step 15
  If using dried herbs, add them during the last hour of simmering. If you are using fresh herbs, add them during the last 15 minutes of simmering.
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  Step 16
  When sauce is finished cooking, you can leave it chunky or employ a blender to make it a smooth sauce. In most cases, I prefer chunky.
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  Step 17
  Do a final seasoning test, and add a bit more salt and pepper, if needed.
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  Step 18
  PLATE/PRESENT
• Step 19
  As a robust tomato sauce, you can use it over pasta, in a calzone, on a pizza, even as a dipping sauce. Enjoy.
• Step 20
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
• Step 21
  Namasté
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