Light, Thin, Restaurant Style Italian Spaghetti Sauce Recipe??

[SusanL]

We went to our favorite Italian restaurant. They serve a very light, thin spaghetti sauce. Almost to the point of being watery but not. Flavored with basil, garlic, and ...? Does anyone have a similar recipe or know what I am referring to, it is not thick but very fragrant. I searched on line and didn't find much. I was thinking of getting fresh tomatoes and putting them through the foley food mill.? Wish I knew them well enough to ask, they are a bit taken by being asked for recipes.~TIA!

[gabbyh]

Susan...Bryan and I were cracking up when I read him your post..our favorite Italian restaurant, Renzo's, also makes the most delicious marinara sauce...whenever we go there, the guys that own it always give me an extra container for the freezer cause I'm always raving about it...let's see if anyone can supply us with a good recipe!

~Gail

[bobmark226]

Susan, do you not have Bittman's HTCEV? His simple, versatile Fast Tomato Sauce fits the bill, nothing more than canned tomatoes (I use crushed) sauteed in olive oil and reduced til they break down and thicken. He then offers tons of variations where you add desired flavorings. In fact, I'm doing some today, first toasting lots of the wonderful fresh garlic I got at the garlic festival here yesterday til they're golden.

The recipe, I believe, should also be in the non-vegetarian verson of the book.

BTW (and I might get some guff on this), it seems that most chefs, Italian and otherwise, suggest canned tomatoes rather than fresh for sauces.

Bob

[wallycat]

I love plain hunts tomato sauce (not their fake-made, HFCS "pasta sauce") and add my own herbs/spices.

[Ohioan]

For a very light tomato sauce, I usually go with the best tomatoes I can find (either fresh or canned, but always without any added salt), and then start them in a little olive oil with garlic. The I add lots of basil and a touch of oregano, and sometimes a half-touch of rosemary. You can add salt to taste, but I'd go easy on the pepper if you want to keep the sauce "light."

Does the sauce you like have a "fresh" taste or a "deep" taste? The difference would be in the cooking time. For "fresh," just enough cooking to dissolve the tomatoes and incorporate all the tastes; for "deep," cook for at least four hours, adding water as necessary. You might also throw in some red wine when you first add the tomatoes to the oil.

Not quite a recipe ... more like an idea ... or a musing....

Cheers,
Phoebe

[Andrea_2]

From what you describe, I think this recipe would match what you are looking for. I have been making it every time I pick up tomatoes from my CSA. It is very flavorful, but not real thick like some other marinara sauce recipes that I have made. I've pretty much stopped searching for other marinara recipes since I like this one so much. The added comments aren't mine, they are from the recipe author on the blog.


Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce
Fashionably Foodie Blog

8 big garden tomatoes, or 10 romas (must be garden fresh. no blando supermart tomatoes! if you must, use a couple big 28 oz cans/quarts of tomatoes.)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

drop half of the tomatoes into boiling water in a big stockpot and boil for 45 seconds. remove to a big bowl of ice water. repeat with the other half of the tomatoes. peel dump the water out of the stockpot to use for sauce. set aside.

chop the onion. preheat the oil in the stockpot. (sure you could use less oil, but it adds richness and flavor. minimum 2 Tbsp. ok.) drop the onion in the oil and soften for 5 mins over medium heat.

working quickly, peel the skins off of the tomatoes, they should slide right off after you break the skin. cut out cores and cut tomatoes into big 2-3 inch chunks. (they cook so long, they break down. you can cut them in huge quarters.)

drop the tomatoes into the pot with the onions. add in all of the tomatoes, the garlic and the bay leaf. bring to a boil. hard simmer for a half hour.

add basil, oregano, salt, and sugar. adjust seasonings to taste. (it just depends on your tomatoes. sometimes you need more or less salt, more sugar, just taste. but for heavens sakes, blow on the spoon alot before you taste. just a tip i've come by the hard way. six thousand times.)

hard simmer another half hour. liquid should have boiled down and reduced by about half. stir in balsamic vinegar. taste, maybe add another teaspoon balsamic.

[SusanL]

Thank You Everyone!
bobmark226 Yes, I do have HTCEV, why didn't I look there first? I bought it because of your high praises. Found the recipe, how easy is that? Lesson learned, I need to use my immediate resources first!!
wallycat I have started my grocery list and plain hunts tomato sauce is on my list to try and do a taste test comparison.
Ohioan and Andrea_2 Thank you, I am printing out your recipes and will be doing that taste test comparison in the next two weeks. DH is excited to see how they compare.
Good morning Gail and Bryan You understand my dilemma~ my mom was Italian and she kept two copies of her treasured recipes, in case someone looked in her recipe boxes for her recipes, she was most reluctant to share her recipes outside the family, some family members were excluded as well! Fortunately, I don't share that passion of hers; therefore, I sort of understand why restaurants don't share their recipes but... That being said I will be back with my results!!

[Kate B]

I have the fresh marinara sauce simmering on the stove right now; the addition of balsamic intrigued me. It smells fabulous! Thanks for the great ideas/recipes.

Kate

[dneilson]

Originally Posted by Andrea_2

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce
Fashionably Foodie Blog

Andrea, Thanks so much!

This sauce is fantastic! Just pressure canned 4 pints (doubling the recipe) to take with us on vacation next week. Used the hand blender in the pot toward the end to render sauce smooth. Worked great. I plan on making another double batch tomorrow.

Does she mean fresh oregano and basil? Or dry?


Deducing that she meant fresh at first (since fresh is not indicated), I then recalled that fresh herbs lose flavor when pressure canned. Then decided to add half the amount in dry ...and putting a fistful of basil at the end and canning them anyway. (I was losing the basil)

Dolores

[SusanL]

Just checking back to say that I have 1 pot of HCEV's sauce on the stove. Even though we are going out tonight (Italian restaurant~) I thought I would make this for tomorrow night's meal. (I have to admit I tried this previously, but the label on the can was incorrect, when I opened the can of "Italian tomatoes" I got "tomato puree". It was ok, but I am trying the whole tomatoes without the sauce to compare.)Then on Monday I hope to try another suggested recipe-the Hunts one by Wallycat. Then, I hope to try Andrea_2's marinara sauce. The temperatures are really dropping and I am getting into comfort foods simmering on the stove~ As much as I struggle giving up summer, I do so enjoy the aromas of the fall cooking.

[Andrea_2]

Originally Posted by dneilson

Andrea, Thanks so much!

Glad you liked it! I'm so depressed about not getting any more good fresh tomatoes for awhile. I wish I had made more of this to have through the winter. Maybe next summer. As for the herbs, I used dried.

[Kate B]

Originally Posted by Andrea_2

From what you describe, I think this recipe would match what you are looking for. I have been making it every time I pick up tomatoes from my CSA. It is very flavorful, but not real thick like some other marinara sauce recipes that I have made. I've pretty much stopped searching for other marinara recipes since I like this one so much. The added comments aren't mine, they are from the recipe author on the blog.


Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce
Fashionably Foodie Blog

8 big garden tomatoes, or 10 romas (must be garden fresh. no blando supermart tomatoes! if you must, use a couple big 28 oz cans/quarts of tomatoes.)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

drop half of the tomatoes into boiling water in a big stockpot and boil for 45 seconds. remove to a big bowl of ice water. repeat with the other half of the tomatoes. peel dump the water out of the stockpot to use for sauce. set aside.

chop the onion. preheat the oil in the stockpot. (sure you could use less oil, but it adds richness and flavor. minimum 2 Tbsp. ok.) drop the onion in the oil and soften for 5 mins over medium heat.

working quickly, peel the skins off of the tomatoes, they should slide right off after you break the skin. cut out cores and cut tomatoes into big 2-3 inch chunks. (they cook so long, they break down. you can cut them in huge quarters.)

drop the tomatoes into the pot with the onions. add in all of the tomatoes, the garlic and the bay leaf. bring to a boil. hard simmer for a half hour.

add basil, oregano, salt, and sugar. adjust seasonings to taste. (it just depends on your tomatoes. sometimes you need more or less salt, more sugar, just taste. but for heavens sakes, blow on the spoon alot before you taste. just a tip i've come by the hard way. six thousand times.)

hard simmer another half hour. liquid should have boiled down and reduced by about half. stir in balsamic vinegar. taste, maybe add another teaspoon balsamic.

I've been able to save one of my tomato plants (so far), so I'm still getting some fresh ones (admittedly they're not as good as they were, but still...). I made another batch of this to freeze, but this time I (gasp) did not peel the tomatoes and it turned out great! Thanks again; this is my favorite marinara recipe.

Kate