I don't cook most tomato sauces for hours, like the general notion
suggests. My view is that a short cook keeps more of the fresh tomato
flavor. Fully ripe tomatoes are best.

To that end, getting rid of skins, seeds and the "tomato snot" that
surrounds the seeds is a giant step toward getting a thicker sauce while
still preserving the freshness. I "clean" the tomatoes and chop them
coarsely. Saute in olive oil (with onion, fresh herbs, or whatever) for
20-30 minutes and run a wand blender in it for a while. Usually not to
make a smooth puree, but to still preserve some small chunks to give it
a bit of "bite."

Did that yesterday to put on this 16", deep dish pizza, the crust of
which I cracked flipping it out of the pan. Three ripe tomatoes with
other stuff for the sauce. <http://i1.tinypic.com/o8dyls.jpg>

Used the rest of the dough to make two smooth-crusted loaves and two
rustic loaves. <http://i1.tinypic.com/o8e1cl.jpg>

Big high-gluten flour usage day...

Pastorio

Bob (this one) wrote:
> I don't cook most tomato sauces for hours, like the general notion
> suggests. My view is that a short cook keeps more of the fresh tomato
> flavor. Fully ripe tomatoes are best.
>
> To that end, getting rid of skins, seeds and the "tomato snot" that
> surrounds the seeds is a giant step toward getting a thicker sauce while
> still preserving the freshness. I "clean" the tomatoes and chop them
> coarsely. Saute in olive oil (with onion, fresh herbs, or whatever) for
> 20-30 minutes and run a wand blender in it for a while. Usually not to
> make a smooth puree, but to still preserve some small chunks to give it
> a bit of "bite."
>
> Did that yesterday to put on this 16", deep dish pizza, the crust of
> which I cracked flipping it out of the pan. Three ripe tomatoes with
> other stuff for the sauce. <http://i1.tinypic.com/o8dyls.jpg>
>
> Used the rest of the dough to make two smooth-crusted loaves and two
> rustic loaves. <http://i1.tinypic.com/o8e1cl.jpg>
>
> Big high-gluten flour usage day...
>
> Pastorio


Have you ever tried using frozen tomatoes with the clear yellow juice
poured off (don't waste it!) after thawing? They taste like fresh
tomatoes, with most of the water gone. The texture is crap, but you
don't care about that if you are cooking and blenderizing them. They'll
still have the seeds, if that's a problem.

Best regards,
Bob

zxcvbob wrote:
> Bob (this one) wrote:
>
>> I don't cook most tomato sauces for hours, like the general notion
>> suggests. My view is that a short cook keeps more of the fresh tomato
>> flavor. Fully ripe tomatoes are best.
>>
>> To that end, getting rid of skins, seeds and the "tomato snot" that
>> surrounds the seeds is a giant step toward getting a thicker sauce
>> while still preserving the freshness. I "clean" the tomatoes and chop
>> them coarsely. Saute in olive oil (with onion, fresh herbs, or
>> whatever) for 20-30 minutes and run a wand blender in it for a while.
>> Usually not to make a smooth puree, but to still preserve some small
>> chunks to give it a bit of "bite."
>>
>> Did that yesterday to put on this 16", deep dish pizza, the crust of
>> which I cracked flipping it out of the pan. Three ripe tomatoes with
>> other stuff for the sauce. <http://i1.tinypic.com/o8dyls.jpg>
>>
>> Used the rest of the dough to make two smooth-crusted loaves and two
>> rustic loaves. <http://i1.tinypic.com/o8e1cl.jpg>
>>
>> Big high-gluten flour usage day...
>>
>> Pastorio
>
> Have you ever tried using frozen tomatoes with the clear yellow juice
> poured off (don't waste it!) after thawing?

Nope.

> They taste like fresh
> tomatoes, with most of the water gone. The texture is crap, but you
> don't care about that if you are cooking and blenderizing them. They'll
> still have the seeds, if that's a problem.

They don't have to have the seeds. Several ways to get rid of them if
that's important. Not a big deal.

Pastorio