Saturday, September 25, 2010

Home Made Pizza Sauce


There's a huge variety of pre-made pizza sauces available. But if you make your own, you can make it as you like it. The basic ingredient in the pizza sauce I make is tomato paste. It is thick enough that you can add many different things to it.


Basic Pizza Sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic,minced
1/2 small onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon marjoram

Empty tomato paste into a glass bowl. Fill tomato paste can half full of water and stir. Pour 1/2 can of water into paste. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend well, and let sit for at least 20 minutes for flavors to combine.

This recipe makes a thick, tomatoey sauce. There are many variations you can try, using garlic powder and onion powder instead of fresh. If you prefer a thinner sauce or a milder tomato flavor, use more liquid in it.
A really great variation on this sauce is to use roasted garlic instead of fresh or powder. To roast your own garlic, take an entire head of garlic and remove any loose outer skin. Cut just enough off the top of the head so that each individual clove is exposed. Place head in tinfoil, pour two teaspoons of olive oil over top of garlic. Seal up and place in a 400-degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Roasted garlic is much milder than raw and after roasting the cloves become very soft, almost like a paste. To use for pizza sauce, use one or two cloves mixed into the rest of the sauce instead of fresh garlic or garlic powder. Roasted garlic can also be mixed with olive oil, oregano and a little salt for a tasty dip for crusty Italian bread.
My Zimbio