Small knife Large pot Large bowl filled with ice water Slotted spoon Large mixing bowl Food processor Mixing spoon Sterilized jars and lids for storage
To prepare the tomatoes for blanching, cut a small and shallow X in the bottom of each one.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Fill a large bowl with equal amounts of ice and water. When the water is boiling, boil the tomatoes in batches of four or five. Leave each batch in for 45 seconds to a minute, until the skin begins to split. Remove the tomatoes with the slotted spoon and drop them immediately into the ice bath. After about 30 seconds, remove the tomatoes from the ice bath with the slotted spoon and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Repeat until you have blanched all the tomatoes.
Pulse the tomatoes a few times until you achieve the desired consistency for your sauce. You can leave the sauce chunky, or continue pureeing until it’s smooth. [3] X Research source If you don’t have a food processor or blender, you can chop the tomatoes into small pieces with a knife. If you like to seed your tomatoes to try to get a smoother sauce, now is the time.
While the sauce is simmering, you can also add a few other ingredients for flavor, such as a few cloves of minced garlic, a bay leaf, or a couple sprigs of fresh basil or oregano. [4] X Research source To make delicious tomato sauce, you should cook it for a long time over low heat. It helps to remove the water and develop the flavor. Adding salt and olive oil can also help to remove water and improve the taste.
The extra acid from the vinegar will act as a preservative if you want to can the sauce or keep it in the fridge. To turn your basic tomato sauce into vodka sauce, portion out 4 cups (900 g) of the tomato sauce, and heat it with 1 cup (237 ml) of vodka and ½ cup (119 ml) of heavy cream. [5] X Research source
To can the sauce, transfer the hot sauce to hot, sterile mason jars. Fit each jar with a clean lid and ring. Process the jars in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove from the water and cool for 12 to 24 hours. [6] X Research source
Leave the tomatoes in the cold water for 30 seconds to a minute. This will stop the cooking process immediately and cool the tomatoes. Blanching makes it easier to peel fruits and vegetables.
With the remaining two tomatoes, chop them roughly into small chunks.
You can substitute any or all of the green pepper for red, yellow, or orange pepper. You can also add five to 10 chopped mushrooms to the sauce, a chopped zucchini, or a small head of broccoli, chopped.
The celery stalks don’t need to be chopped because you will remove them from the sauce before serving.
Stir in the tomato paste and continue simmering the sauce for another two hours. You don’t have to simmer the sauce for the full four hours, but cooking it for the full length of time will yield a thick, rich, and flavorful sauce. Cooking the sauce for one to two hours will result in a sauce that’s slightly runnier and not quite as rich.
Serve the sauce hot with pasta, rice, or vegetables.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. You’ll be adding the tomatoes to this, so use a pan with high walls. Add the tomato paste and hot pepper flakes to the hot oil. Turn the heat to low and stir all the ingredients together. Cook the mixture for about four minutes. [9] X Research source
You can also use red wine in place of the water. [10] X Research source It’s best to make this sauce fresh while you’re making the pasta to serve it with. When you cook the pasta, reserve ¼ cup (59 ml) of the water when you drain the pasta, and use that to add to the arrabbiata sauce. Because pasta water has some leftover starch from the pasta, it will help to thicken the sauce.
This sauce recipe is ideal for 4 cups (1 kg) of uncooked pasta.
