Sauce Tomat (Tomato Sauce)

Sauce tomate is one of the five mother sauces in classical French cuisine. The sauce is made by cooking tomatoes in a base of pork fat, aromatics, and stock until it reduces into a thick sauce. Traditionally, it was further thickened with a roux, but modern adaptations often skip this step. Tomato sauce has many variations - it can be chunky or smooth, made with fresh or canned tomatoes, made in 30 minutes or set to simmer all afternoon. One thing that separates sauce tomate from the rest is its use of pork. Rendered over low heat, the fat is used to sauté aromatic vegetables to make a flavourful base, then add on a lengthy cooking time to turn whole tomatoes into a rich, complex sauce and you’ve got a recipe that's unapologetically French. Sauce Tomate can be used for pastas sauce, lasagna, pizza, polenta, meatballs, meatloaf, poached fish, mozzarella sticks and eggs in purgatory. There are two acknowledged methods, the original by Escoffier and the modern adaptation. Both are presented here.

ORIGINAL ESCOFFIER'S METHOD:

Sauce Tomate:
2-3 oz salt pork, diced (56-84 g)
3 oz onions, peeled and diced (84 g)
3 oz carrots, peeled and diced (84 g)
4 Tbsp. (2 oz) butter (56 g)
4 Tbsp. (2 oz) all-purpose flour, unbleached (56 g)
5 lbs raw, good quality tomatoes, quartered (2.25 kg)
4 cups (1 qt) veal or chicken stock (1 L)
1 clove garlic, freshly crushed
sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked
sugar

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

In a oven-safe Dutch oven, add the salt pork with a Tbsp. of water, cover with a lid, and place over medium heat. Check in about 5 minutes. The steam from the water will allow the fat to render out of the salt pork before it starts to brown or burn.

After the salt pork is nice and rendered out, add in your butter, carrots and onions, and sweat over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, or until they become nice and tender and start to release their aromatic aromas.

Sprinkle the flour over the carrots and onions and continue to cook for another few minutes. You’re essentially using the residual fat from the butter and salt pork to make a blond roux.

Add in your raw tomatoes. Roast with other ingredients until they start to soften and release some of their liquid. Add in your white stock and crushed garlic.

Cover the pot with a lid, and put it in a preheated oven. If your sauce pot won’t fit, you can always just simmer it on your stove top. Bake or simmer for 2 hours.

Traditionally, you should pass the finished sauce through a Tamis, but if you’re looking for a smooth tomato sauce, I would instead recommend that you first blend it in a blender, and then press it through a chinois (fine mesh seive).

Finish by seasoning with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. The addition of sugar is used to balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes. Your tomato sauce should not taste sweet, unless you enjoy putting ketchup on your pasta.

Makes about 4 cups.

MODERN METHOD:

Herb Sachet:
1 large bay leaf
4 stems parsley
2 sprigs thyme
8-10 peppercorns, crushed

Sauce Tomate:
2-3 oz salt pork, diced (50-75 g)
2 cups onions, peeled and diced (500 mL)
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced (250 mL)
1 cup celery, diced (250 mL)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes, such as San Marzano
4 cups (1 qt) veal or chicken stock
1 ham bone
kosher salt
sugar

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Tie the herb sachet ingredients into a cheesecloth sack using a piece of kitchen twine.

In a heavy oven-safe Dutch oven, cook the pork over low heat until the fat liquefies (melts), about 3-5 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and sauté on medium heat, until the onion is translucent, but not brown, 3-4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, the ham bone, the stock and the herb sachet.

Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and transfer to the oven. Simmer in the oven, covered loosely for two hours. Alternatively, you can transfer the sauce to a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

Remove from the oven, discard ham bone and herb sachet. Let cool slightly, and purée sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary.

Season to taste with kosher or sea salt and a small amount of sugar - just enough to cut the acidic edge of the tomatoes.

Serve hot. If not serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you’re ready to use it. If not ready, refrigerate for 3-4 days, or freeze up to 6 months.

Makes about 3 cups.