Loyd Grossman Help!

[Mani]

Ok here goes Basic tomato sauce, Napoli style..

 

Olive oil 5 table spoons [not extra virgin , we never cook with extra virgin, we only use virgin oil raw on top of soups or in salad dressings]

 

2 onions

half bulb of garlic

2 bottles passata [bottled smooth or rough chopped tomatos buy the most expensive , never buy the ones with herbs and garlic in]

Oregano

thyme

2 glasses red wine

chili flakes

salt to taste

pinch sugar

2 glasses red wine

 

Soften the garlic and onion in the oil [finely chopped , very fine] do not burn!

 

Add passata, herbs salt , suger, wine , chili , bring to boil , simmer gently for 2 hours good sauces are simmered for a long time, longer the better, stir often, never let the sauce catch/burn/stick to the bottom of the pan , add water if needed, the finnished sauce should have condesed to two thirds..

 

If you want a meat sauce add pork and beef mince at the same time as the onions and garlic, never confuse a meat sauce with Bolagnese ragu, which contains chicken livers, pork and beef and very little tomato only 1/2 table spoon of tomato puree and no herbs some even frown on garlic.

 

Anyway back to my sauce, when cooked, either bottle or freeze, if there is to much.

 

To this sauce you can add meatballs, fried italian fresh sausage [to which it would accompany polenta not pasta]

 

In summer Italians would add a handfull of chopped basil to this sauce.

 

You add mushrooms just quickly fried, or aubergines, courgettes, peppers or a combination again fried

 

This sauce is good with polpo [octopus] or calimari[squid]

 

Meat and veg sauces you can sprinkle parmesan cheese or pecorino [the most common cheese in Italy] but never put cheese on a sauce with seafood..

 

nice one mate

 

Gonna ad some fresh basil to that recipe as you say, the missus grows it for salads, gotta have parmigiano reggiano grated and sprinkled on top as well.

 

Will try it during the week and let you know how it went.

[Lee Winger]

add the basil right at the end of cooking

[David Humphries]

My cousin lived in Blackheath, you could have popped around his and got a jar for yourself, hes in MonkeyDs manor these days...

 

That makes it a fairly big manor Lee.

 

I'll open up me nostrils and if I get a wiff, I'll go and knock up your cousy, for a gratis bottle.

 

The wife likes the look of your recipe, gonna be givin that one a bash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Jack-Arb aka Tiago Sinclair-Julio.]

Anyone know how to make a basic italian tomato sauce to have with pasta? me and the missus want to make our own, instead of buying Loyd's. thanks.

 

 

Hi Mani,

 

Nice to hear that you want to learn how to do your own tomato sauce, its the essencial basic component for a huge variety of dish's. And theres no right way to make it, depending for what its gonna be used in little changes can be made to it... The more often you do it, more you'll understand what to do until its just right the way you like it...

 

A basic tomato pasta sauce, the way I do it:

 

 

Fry small chopped onion in olive oil until nice and golden, had the tomatoes ( this is the most important part) 5 very ripe plum tomatoes, they are the best for the sauce but a can like on the picture above will do just a good! Once mixed together with the onion on a low heat let it cook had salt and pepper. Get some garlic chopped into little chunks, do not had until the last 2 or 3 minutes before you turn the heat off. The reason why I do this is cause otherwise the garlic will be over cooked with no taste at all. The sauce should be stirred occasionally, had more oil if it looks like it could do with more. On a low heat a can of tomatoes I would cook it for around 20/30 min, when the sauce looks like its reduce down but not completly thick and a nice layer of oil covering the surface of the sauce you then can had the garlic and let it cook for 3/4 min and its ready!

 

Theres lot of nice things you can had and make it more interesting, nuts herbs etc... And if left for the next day its even more yummy!!! The quality of the tomatoes is really important because if you use crappy greenish ones you'l never get a rich delicious sauce, its hard to find fresh tomatoes for cooking and thats why I most times use cans they are just a good...

 

Try it man, in no time you'll make much better sauces than any ready made ones..

 

Ciao Jack

[Bob Rolfe]

lee may have my guts for garters for this but i pretty much follow his recipe and add some tomato sauce if its not tomatoy enough sorry mate but the kids like the sauce