By the response I received from the Quick and Delicious Tomato Sauce post, the sauce is a hit! Indeed it is hard to believe that something so easy could taste so good.
There are a few things however that you need to be aware of to make sure your sauce turns out as wonderfully as it is suppose to.
#1. Add any additional ingredients after you roast your tomatoes.
Roast your tomatoes, taste, and THEN add any additional ingredients you plan to add. (It’s delicious without anything added.)(See my comment in the comment’s section below. If you are going to freeze the sauce I would suggest not adding anything to it until you get ready to use it.)
Roasted tomatoes have a wonderful flavor, but one that can be destroyed quickly by cooking other ingredients with the tomatoes. That is why I suggested you add any additional ingredients AFTER you roast your tomatoes.
One reader found out the hard way when she (making the sauce for a second time) put 3 cloves of garlic to roast with the tomatoes. She writes, “That was a mistake. ” She then goes on to say that rather than making the sauce garlicy —–it tasted funny. “Next time,” she said “I will saute garlic and onion separately.”
In the peak of tomato season this mistake is not so bad, but in December when fresh garden tomatoes are rare, it can be devastating.
#2. Use your homegrown tomatoes; store-boughts won’t provide the flavor you’ll be looking for.
Another reader writes: “—can’t wait to try the pasta sauce you made by roasting the tomatoes. I almost bought a bunch from Costco tonight but hesitated —”
I was really glad that she didn’t buy the tomatoes because store-bought tomatoes just are not going to provide the flavor that you’ll be looking for when you make this sauce.
Even if you have to wait until next July to try it—-it will be worth it to get it right.
I posted this on the original post, but wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it, so am adding it to this post as well:
Here’s a story that I found interesting and might be of interest to you if you are getting ready to prepare this sauce:
I had a good friend and reader visit me recently. I fixed a favorite appetizer before dinner. The original recipe uses fresh tomatoes, topped with cubed mozzarella cheese, chopped fresh basil, and drizzled with olive oil. Since I didn’t have fresh tomatoes that early in June, I thawed about a 1/4 cup of my roasted tomatoes (a/k/a sauce). I cubed the cheese, tossed in the thawed roasted tomatoes, and topped with fresh chopped basil.
My friend loved the taste.
Now, here’s what makes the story so interesting. She said, “I could never thaw my roasted tomatoes (sauce) out and use like this because no one would eat it.” She said it didn’t have the good taste mine had.
I can’t determine exactly why that’s the case and what it is she did that was different. But I do know she added olive oil to her’s before freezing. I would not add olive oil at all before freezing. And most definitely I would not add it while the tomatoes are roasting! If I wanted to add olive oil for a certain recipe, I’d do it after I thawed it out and was making the recipe (or if I was going to use it for dinner rather than freeze it.)
The bottom line is – little things can make a big difference in taste.
In regard to adding oils and spices, I would suggest not adding anything until you thaw the sauce and get ready to use it. That way you get the full sweet tomato flavor. (And of course, if you’re not going to freeze it – but rather use it right away, then add your seasonings.)
Theresa
When I went back and read the recipe, I thought it said to peel the tomatoes–only now do I remember that I did not do this last year and had great results. When I wrote you the other day, I did go ahead and blanch and peel the tomatoes before I received your reply and then remembered how I’d done it last year! But as the day went from bad to worse, it didn’t matter anyway–I didn’t set the timer, got distracted and charcoaled two pans of tomatoes!! Thank goodness the garden is producing so many and I get to try again!
All of us have those days Betty. Glad you get to try again.
And by the way, I went back to the original post and added a note about peeling.
When I first made the sauce I peeled, but it just got to got to be too much time involved, so I now opt for the time-saving no-peel.
Sorry for the confusion, Betty.
Theresa