Having a farmer acquaintance is the ultimate luxury, don't you think? My friend Ayako, who I'm always close with, receives a huge amount of vegetables and fruits from her farmer acquaintances that are too difficult to sell commercially, and every time she offers to bring some over if I need it. (I'm overjoyed! lol) This time, she shared a generous amount of wonderful ingredients, including perfectly ripe tomatoes that are too misshapen or have cracks to sell, perfect for sauces, freshly picked lemons, lush mizuna and white onions, and more! (So happy!) I weighed the tomatoes and it came to 4kg! First, I'm going to transform half of it, 2kg, into a versatile "basic tomato sauce" that can be used in any dish♪
Basic tomato sauce
material
2 kg of ripe tomatoes, 2 medium onions (about 400 g), 4 cloves of garlic, olive oil (to taste), 2 bay leaves, a pinch of salt
First, let's prepare the tomatoes. To peel them, make a light cross-shaped incision at the bottom of each tomato, then place them in boiling water. The skin will peel off from the incision. Remove them from the water and immerse them in cold water to remove all the peeled skin. Remove the stem by rounding off the area around it with a pointed knife such as a paring knife. Cut the peeled and stemmed tomatoes into four pieces and temporarily transfer them to a bowl so that the juice doesn't go to waste.
Since ripe tomatoes are soft, strain them through a sieve and spatula to remove the seeds. If there are any hard parts, use a blender.
Place the juice and finely chopped pulp from about 2 kg of tomatoes into a bowl. Adding salt, vinegar, or yogurt to this mixture would make a delicious additive-free tomato juice!
Once the tomatoes are prepared, the next step is to finely chop the onions and garlic. Recently, when I borrowed the colorful Kyocera ceramic knife that Junko-san was using in the Hirano family's kitchen, I was so impressed by its sharpness that I immediately bought the same one in a different color, yellow, on Rakuten! It's incredibly sharp, and I've even discovered the joy of finely chopping (lol). The sharpness of a knife really is important!
While onions and garlic are often roughly chopped for texture when used in dishes like hamburgers, for sauces, chopping them as finely as possible allows them to caramelize more quickly and create a smoother texture when sautéed.
Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a deep pot and start by infusing it with the aroma of garlic. Add the onions and cook slowly over medium heat at first to prevent burning. Once moisture is released, increase the heat and continue stirring with a wooden spoon, keeping a close eye on it, until the onions turn a caramel color. This will take about an hour, but it's done when the moisture has reduced and the mixture has thickened into a rich, heavy consistency. If you want to shorten the time it takes to caramelize the onions, you can use a microwave before sautéing. Sprinkle a little salt on the finely chopped onions before putting them in the microwave, let them sit for a while to remove excess moisture, and then heat them. This will allow them to cook more efficiently and caramelize faster.
Once the onions have turned caramelized, reduce the heat to low to prevent them from burning, pour in the tomato juice and pulp, and then increase the heat again to high. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, and when it boils, skim off the scum with a ladle.
Then add two bay leaves and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the liquid is reduced by about half and the sauce thickens. By letting the acidity evaporate and making it carefully and lovingly, the sweetness of the tomatoes and onions is concentrated, resulting in a delicious sauce. Finally, sprinkle with a little salt to adjust the taste and finish it off♪
In about two hours from start to finish, your "basic tomato sauce" is ready! Let the sauce rest in the refrigerator overnight to mellow the flavor before transferring it to sterilized jars. If refrigerated, use within about one to two weeks. If frozen in a Ziploc bag or similar container to prevent exposure to air, it will last for over a month. This sauce is a basic base that allows for various variations, so it has a mild flavor that highlights the natural deliciousness of tomatoes. Add umami (such as bouillon), herbs for aroma, or seasonings specific to your dish to create a versatile sauce that can be used for pasta, pizza, meat dishes, fish dishes, egg dishes, and much more!
