Marinara sauce

I can't seem to get enough of Margarita Pizza which I made last week with this marinara sauce and home made Pizza dough. I have already made it twice this week and with Sunday approaching, I am surely going to make it again.

Order Pizzas much? Ever wondered how that pizza sauce is made? Foundation of any good pizza after the pizza dough is a delicious pizza sauce. A staple in Italian kitchen, Marinara is made with tomatoes, garlic, onion and herbs. Toss up your favourite pasta in it for a quick meal or make a gorgeous Pizza using it. Either way, this is a a recipe which you must hold on to!

Insanely easy to make, I love this tongue ticking sauce which is a perfect blend of sweet and sour, not to mention the heat which is just at the right note. I can go on and on about how much I like Italian food but If I am ever being asked to pick my favorite dish then it has to be Spaghetti tossed up in this marinara sauce. Of-course, I would doll it up with fresh basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil, only to make it even more delicious. Italian condiment, Basil pesto is my another favourite. Soup, salad, crostini, pasta, pizza, dipping sauce, possibilities with pesto are endless.

I always keep a batch of this sauce ready in my freezer to make Pizza. If your sauce and pizza dough is good, then you can't go wrong with making pizzas. Speaking of Pizzas, next recipe up on the blog will be of Pizza dough which will just change your life. I will tell you how to make the yummiest Pizzas at home. Trust me, you are going to start saving lot of bucks soon! You just have to wait till next week to get the recipe of Pizza dough.

For this weekend, go ahead and dress you favourite pasta and veggies in this sauce.

Full of flavour, this tomato sauce will come handy for most of the Italian dishes line pizza, penne arrabiata, gnocchi, calzone. !

Makes about 2 measuring cups - good enough for 7-8 medium pizzas

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp butter
5-6 big clove of garlic- chopped
2 medium onion - chopped finely
8-10 tomatoes
salt to taste
1 Tsp red chilli flakes
1 Tsp mixed dried herbs
1 Tsp sugar
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce( optional)
1/2 Tsp Tobasco sauce
Few chopped basil leaves

Method.

In a big pot of water, blanch tomatoes on medium heat for 10 minutes. Turn off gas and cool them down.

Peel off skin, roughly chop and blitz them in a liquidizer/processor.

Now in a deep sauce pan, heat olive oil and butter together. Add garlic and onion and cook till onions become slightly golden in colour.

Now tip in the entire tomato puree. Season with salt, black pepper powder and add mixed herbs, chili flakes, sugar and tomato ketchup. Mix properly.

Cover with a lid and cook down tomato puree for about 15 minutes on low heat till it leaves oil at the edges of pan. Keep checking and stirring in between.

Once tomatoes have cooked down, taste and adjust flavours. At this point, add Tabasco and mix properly.

Add chilli sauce or chilli flakes if u want marinara to be more spicy. Add more garlic if u like it more garlicky.

Turn off gas and add chopped basil.

Cool it down and store in air-tight jars in freezer for about a month.

Tips

You really have to use red ripe tomatoes for this recipe otherwise sauce is going to be very sour.

Blanching tomatoes is a crucial step which gives deep colour to this sauce.

Adding little sugar ties the entire sauce together. Like life, balance is required in food too.

Don't forget to take a photo and tag me as #fascinatingfoodworld on Instagram and Facebook if you try making this sauce.

Nishu

Incase you looking for more Italian recipes, try these

Crostini/Bruschetta 3 ways