Signora’s Tomato Sauce
I cooked for a lot of crazy signoras when I lived in Italy, and one of them whipped me into shape by insisting that the tomatoes for tomato sauce be put through a food mill first. For the uninitiated, it’s kind of like an old coffee mill, but with a more tightly geared hand crank. In would go the roasted tomatoes, and each crank by hand would squeeze them through holes in the side of the mill. I needed a tube of Bengay for my arms after the first batch, but the result is a far lighter sauce than any store-bought variety. If you’re not up for the workout, just lightly pulse the tomatoes in a food processor.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 2
Gently squeeze the tomatoes by hand to remove excess seeds, then put them in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, in a single layer on sheet pans and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until the skins are just browning and the juices are bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes, then lift off the skins with a fork.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and continue to sauté until the carrots become just tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Lift the tomatoes off the sheet pans and transfer to a food processor, then pour in any pan juices. Add the carrot mixture and the basil and pulse until pureed but still a little chunky.
Step 5
Transfer back into the saucepan and stir in 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Do a FASS check. Tomatoes can sometimes be acidic, so you may want to add a pinch of sweetener and another pinch of salt.
variation
Step 6
If fresh tomatoes aren’t available, you can substitute two 28-ounce cans of plum tomatoes.
Step 7
Goes with baked halibut (page 123), Creamy Polenta (134), and a wide variety of pasta dishes.
storage
Step 8
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months.
nutrition information
Step 9
(per serving)
Step 10
Calories: 120
Step 11
Total Fat: 5.4g (0.8g saturated, 3.5g monounsaturated)
Step 12
Carbohydrates: 17g
Step 13
Protein: 4g
Step 14
Fiber: 5g
Step 15
Sodium: 230mg
CULINARY RX
Step 16
Tomatoes have been touted for having lycopene, a well-studied antioxidant that appears to have protective properties against many types of cancer. A few tricks can help you coax a little more lycopene out of these colorful orbs. Heat is one key. Tomatoes grown in hot weather produce more lycopene, and cooking boosts the availability of this phytochemical. Ohio State University scientists decided to do a little home cooking and found that using oil and a second round of heat (260°F for 40 minutes) created a tomato sauce that allowed participants to absorb 55 percent more lycopene. If tomatoes aren’t your thing, watermelon is also high in lycopene.
