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I've recently found that canned tomatoes can be way more flavorful than fresh ones. I've spent the last year or so experimenting with pasta sauce and tomato sou
by CompelTechnic 8y ago
I've recently found that canned tomatoes can be way more flavorful than fresh ones. I've spent the last year or so experimenting with pasta sauce and tomato soup, and have recently settled on "SMT" brand san marzano crushed tomatoes as making a sauce that is 300% better than pre-mixed sauce.
Before starting to boil your noodles, chop a large onion. Get a huge frying pan (I use a deep 16" pan), because you will eventually mix the whole meal into it. Fry the onion with oil and salt. Add mushrooms or peppers if desired. Wait a bit. Push the onion to the side and position the empty side of the pan on the hottest part of the burner, and crank the heat up. Add 1 pound of ground beef (between 80% and 90% lean), and salt and pepper. Fry it until cooked 90% through. Add fresh garlic. Now dump your 18 oz can of delicious crushed tomatoes into it. Wash the can out by filling it 1/4 of the way with water and add this fluid to the pan. Add a small amount of cumin, a whole lot of basil, and a whole lot of paprika. Keep it simmering and NOW you can start cooking your noodles. When your noodes are done, after straining, dump them in the pan and mix it up.
The longer the simmer, the better the sauce, but there is diminishing marginal returns. I don't ever go to the trouble of simmering more than 20 minutes b/c I'm a busy boy, some people would consider this sacrilege. Best spaghetthi you have had in a looong time. Even better if you make the noodles from scratch, but that is a degree of dedication that I rarely use.
- sizzzzlerz 8y agoTry sautéing your garlic with the onions once they've softened. Sixty seconds is all you need. It blooms the garlic aroma and cooks out the harshness that fresh garlic can have. I've not tried using cumin or paprika in my sauce. I'm hooked on spicing the sauce up with red pepper flakes.
- ljf 8y agoTinned are often 'better' as they are tinned when ripe (or even slightly over ripe) as there arent the same concerns about transporting them.
- sametmax 8y agoYes, and ice cream taste amazing. That's not the debate. With proper ingredients, you can make anything taste fantastic.
- nate_meurer 8y agoYeah, ok, now I'm reading your other comments here, and I understand what you're talking about. You're not just talking about "good" tomatoes. You're talking about the tomatoes that are good enough to stand on their own as the centerpiece of a dish. It's hard to describe. I myself have only rarely eaten a tomato that I think qualifies. The cherry tomatoes that I keep talking about here were like a religious experience. I think tomatoes are kind of unique in this regard, at least among common western-world fruits and vegetables. They're like mangos; the best ones are freakishly delicious, with layers of surprising flavors. It's hard to describe, but I know that's what you're talking about.
- nate_meurer 8y agoInteresting, thanks. Cumin and paprika are unusual choices for pasta sauce. Especially combined with onions. Does it not end up tasting like chili?
- CompelTechnic 8y agoOnly a small amount of cumin, probably 1/2 tsp or less. If I add to much it can start to seem like chili. I go nuts with the paprika though. Adds an unctuousness. Probably add 1-2 tbsp per batch.
- nate_meurer 8y agoHow do you feel about dried basil? It arouses visceral hatred in a lot of cooks, but sometimes we have no fresh, and parsley only goes so far as a replacement. FWIW, there's nothing sacrilegious about your short simmering time. Folks who simmer their red gravy all day are making an entirely different sauce. Gravy can be magnificent stuff, but it's a different food from, say, Marcella Hazan's lighter sauces, the lightest of which is literally nothing more than tomato and butter. I think your recipe strikes a nice balance between the two.
- CompelTechnic 8y agonate_meurer, for some reason I cannot reply to your sibling comment, but I find dried basil to be OK. Fresh basil is certainly better. When using dried, I make sure to add a lot, gotta make up for the lacking volatile flavors.
- nate_meurer 8y agoThanks, that makes sense. I rather suspect we eat a lot more dried basil in restaurant sauces than we realize.
- HeyLaughingBoy 8y agoWell, chili does make a freakishly good pasta sauce!
- darkpuma 8y agoCanned crushed san marzano tomatoes are kind of legendary for sauce making. Sometimes by chance, the industrial process just gets it right.