5 days, 5 sauces: Day 4, Tomato

The ingredients

Day 4 (or Tomato Sauce Day) began bright and early! I decided to use the Tomato Sauce in lasagna and make it ahead of time for Dad and Jordan. I would not be attending dinner last night as I had a cooking date with Grandma and  my cousin Lauren, and Mom was going out as well. (ironically we had lasagna too for dinner). I started making the Tomato Sauce with just a few simple ingredients. I gathered my “mise en place” of chopped onions, minced garlic, canned crushed tomatoes, a bay leaf and a couple of herbs and spices I had on hand. I sautéed the onions in a sauce pot until translucent, and then I added the garlic. Next came the crushed tomatoes but you can certainly used whole canned and crush them on your own (it adds some fun).

Adding the tomatoes

Then I added the bay leaf, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped parley and thyme. I let the sauce sit for 15 minutes until slightly thickened and in the blink of an eye the tomato sauce was complete. Later on I added the sauce to my cooked ground beef and layered it on top of a ricotta mixture and lasagna noodles.

Ground beef simmering in the tomato sauce

The sauce was delicious and simple, it was great with the lasagna and it would be even better on top of pizza or chicken/veal Parmesan, you name it!

The finished Lasagna

4 sauce’s down, one to go! Tomorrow is Espagnole Sauce and I have to decide what I’m going to make!
Keep on cooking!!




Here's the Sauce recipe but you can also find it in the recipe section (Sauces) of JeremyCooks.

Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce is one of the 5 mother sauces and is used in many dishes. It is made with fresh or canned tomatoes and infused with different herbs and spices.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion ( 1 onion)
1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
42 ounces of canned,  good quality, plum tomatoes in puree or crushed tomatoes
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Knife and cutting board
Large sauce pot
Stirring spoon

Directions:
Place a large sauce pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more slat and pepper to taste

The sauce can be made one day ahead. Cool, the cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.