Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Seeing Red

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (96)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(96)

Cook Time:
1 hr 15 min
Level:
--
Yield:
1.5 quarts

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total:: 1 hr 25 min

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Ingredients

2 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
2 ounces olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup white wine
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a sieve over a medium non-reactive saucepot, strain the tomatoes of their juice into the sauce pot. Add the sherry vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, oregano, and basil to the tomato juice. Stir and cook over high heat. Once bubbles begin to form on the surface, reduce to a simmer. Allow liquid to reduce by 1/2 or until liquid has thickened to a loose syrup consistency.

Squeeze each tomato thoroughly to ensure most seeds are removed. Set the tomatoes aside.

Cut carrot, onion, and celery into uniform sizes and combine with olive oil and garlic in a non-reactive roasting pan over low heat. Sweat the mirepoix until the carrots are tender and the onion becomes translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and capers to the roasting pan.

Place roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven and broil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Tomatoes should start to brown slightly on edges with light caramelization. Remove the pan from the broiler. Place the pan over 2 burners on the stove. Add the white wine to the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes over medium heat.

Put the tomatoes into a deep pot or bowl and add the reduced tomato liquid to the tomatoes. Blend to desired consistency and adjust seasoning.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce
Bob Santa Ana, CA 08-18-2009
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Good stuff!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This gives a restaurant taste to a home made meal. I've tried it with and without the wine and have no complaints. Can it... be canned?Read more
recipe Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce
Mark Eugene, OR 05-02-2009
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Interesting take on tomato sauce...
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I tend to google "alton brown biscuits" or "alton brown scallops" whenever I want to find a new recipe to try. I find his... creations and adaptations to make the most culinary sense to me, though he does occasionally add more salt than I would... That said, I enjoyed this take on an all around tomato sauce. Mostly. As far as ingredients go I substituted 1/8c sherry plus 1/16c of both red and white wine vinegar for his sherry vinegar, and decreased the sugar to about 3/16c. I cut the red pepper flakes in half after reading reviews, but I really don't think such a cut is necessary unless diners are sensitive. The tomatoes I used were whole, unsalted from Trader Joe's, the wine was white zinfandel, also from TJ's (not a white but a rose, I know, but I tend to prefer it for cooking). Preparation took me about an hour and a half all told, which seems a tad long until I think about the time it takes me to make a sauce with fresh tomatoes. I paired the sauce with spaghetti and am eating it as I type. My initial reaction when preparing and tasting the sauce itself was how similar it is to a ratatouille. That makes enough sense, as ratatouille, Thomas Keller's recipe "Confit Byaldi" (from a certain Pixar film) in particular, is prepared using techniques similar to Alton's. That being the case, my spaghetti was overpowered by this sauce, even when using a very small amount. I think the same would be true on a pizza, unless the pizza itself demanded such strength and complexity (whole wheat crust, tons of jalapenos, pepperoni, etc). I think the best use for this sauce would be on something like a meatball sandwich (thanks anonymous reviewer below!) or, with some added breadcrumbs, used in a braciole (an Italian roulade). In summary-While I have enjoyed this sauce enough to make it again, though with a little less added acid and half the sugar (as many others have pointed out), I would not quality it as an all around tomato sauce.Read more
recipe Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce
C Big Pine Key, FL 04-04-2008
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Best after it sits.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Love this sauce. I have tweaked it to my tastes and love it best after it sets for two days. I always double the recipe and... feeze the extra.Read more
recipe Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce
Anonymous 02-22-2008
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Fantastic homemade sauce
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

We really enjoyed this sauce but it did take a lot of effort to prepare. We used balsamic vinegar for the sherry vinegar and... it came out great. We also used about half the amount of sugar.Read more
recipe Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce
Anonymous 02-02-2008
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Our favorite tomato sauce
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This sauce is wonderful on just about everything - pasta, pizza, meatball sandwiches, you name it. It isn't exactly quick to... make, but it stores quite nicely and reheats well.Read more
recipe Pantry Friendly Tomato Sauce
Anonymous 02-01-2008
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Delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Wonderful tasting sauce. I just wish that Alton would recommend substitutions for alcohol, as there are a few of us that... don't use it - even in cooking.Read more