Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

pasta

Time is Ripe for Tomatoes

As we all prepare to greet fall and her cooler air and promise of crisp apples and warming winter squash, don’t yet shut the door on tomatoes and the lingering taste of summer they can offer all year round.  At least in the Lowcountry, tomatoes will be coming in for a few more weeks. Here’s some ideas on how to put them to use from an excerpt from the tomato sauce chapter in my upcoming book on French Sauces (Gibbs Smith, Spring, 2013):

Les Sauces Tomates – Tomato Sauces

Though frequently associated with Italian cuisine, tomato (also called “pomme d’amour,” or love apple in French) sauces play a significant role in French sauce-making and cooking as well. One of the five mother sauces of French classical cooking, tomato sauces can serve as a garnish for fish or meat or tossed with pasta. The meaty juiciness of tomatoes make them the perfect conduit for a quick, fresh, naturally thickened sauce, often enhanced with wine, garlic, onion and fresh herbs.

When in season, fresh tomatoes are preferable to canned. Select firm, fragrant tomatoes. Plum varieties are considered ideal, but the many heirloom varieties available at farmers’ markets and groceries have magnificent flavor and color. When using canned, look for  whole peeled tomatoes, preferably the San Marzano Italian imports.

Tomatoes are often peeled and seeded prior to cooking or the seeds and skins are strained after cooking. Peeling and seeding fresh tomatoes is simple enough. Trim the stem base out with a paring knife and cut a little “X” into the top of the tomato. Place the tomato(es) in simmering, hot water for about 30 seconds, or until the “X” forms little, loose skin flaps. Remove them from the water and submerge in ice cold water for several seconds. The skin will literally peel right off a ripe tomato. To seed the tomatoes, cut them in half horizontally. Gently, using your fingertips, prod the seeds from the little seed pockets distributed throughout the tomato and discard. Don’t fret if you miss a few.

One of the many advantages of tomato sauces is that they freeze beautifulyy for up to three months. Make a few big batches now when tomatoes are still being harvested and freeze them in quantities you will use as fall and winter approach. Thaw, reheat and voila, an instant taste of summer on your plate even when winter winds howl.

Sauce Mariniere – Marinara Sauce

Beautiful, fresh marianara sauce prepared with late summer tomatoes and basil.

 

(Yield: 6 cups)

This lovely, light sauce is worth making over and over again. It simply sings with tomato flavor that goes just as well tossed with a bowl of spaghetti as it would to dress grill fish or roasted chicken. There are countless variations on the theme, as well. Ground beef,  turkey, pork, sausage, and bacon could be added early in the cooking process, or it could be finished with other vegetables including mushrooms, bell peppers and fennel. Add the fresh basil at the very end, just before serving. The sauce can be refrigerated for several days prior to using or frozen for up to three months.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled, mashed and finely chopped

Pinch sea or kosher salt and ground black pepper

6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup good quality red wine

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

4  sprigs each fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano sprigs tied in a bundle with kitchen string

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Pinch red chili pepper flakes

1/4 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Sea or kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, and pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to coat, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, but not browned. Add the tomatoes. Increase heat to medium high, stir, and cook another 3 minutes. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper. Add the wine, chicken stock, fresh herb bundle, sugar, and red chili pepper flakes. Bring up to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer. Cook over medium, medium-low heat for 45 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third. Remove herb bundle. Puree the sauce lightly in a blender or with a hand-held emulsion blender, about 30 pulses,  or until frothy and chunky-smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add the basil just before serving. Serve hot.

Bon appetit!

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