Fire-Roasted Pizza Sauce

Name: Fire-Roasted Pizza Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cans (28 oz each) fire-roasted crushed Roma tomatoes; 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 8 garlic cloves, smashed and minced; 4 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp dried oregano; ½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 1 tsp red pepper flakes; 1½ tsp fine sea salt (start here, adjust at the end); 1 tsp sugar (taste before adding more); 1 tsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tsp anchovy paste; 16 fresh basil leaves, torn; 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional)

Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes simmered low with garlic, fennel and a toasted smear of tomato and anchovy paste until the oil separates at the edges. Deep, a little smoky, sweet from the reduction rather than the sugar jar, and it tastes better tomorrow than it does today, which is why it is already made.

Total time

75 min

Serves

12

Difficulty

Easy

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As seen on Episode 286

The pantry

kitchen

Essentials · serves 12

2 cans (28 oz each) fire-roasted crushed Roma tomatoes 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 8 garlic cloves, smashed and minced 4 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp dried oregano ½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1½ tsp fine sea salt (start here, adjust at the end) 1 tsp sugar (taste before adding more) 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp anchovy paste 16 fresh basil leaves, torn 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional)

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The preparation

5 steps, about 75 minutes start to finish.

01
1. BLOOM: warm the olive oil in a heavy 4 to 5 quart pot over medium-low. Add the garlic, fennel and pepper flakes and cook gently until the garlic is fragrant and barely golden. Not brown.
02
2. TOAST THE PASTES: add the tomato paste and the anchovy paste. Stir constantly, smearing them against the bottom of the pot, until the paste goes deep brick red and smells sweet. That is the Maillard moment and it is where the depth comes from.
03
3. ADD TOMATOES: both cans, the oregano, salt, sugar and the parm rind if you are using it. Bring to a gentle simmer.
04
4. REDUCE LOW AND SLOW: a lazy simmer, uncovered, stirring and scraping the bottom now and then. Check at 30 minutes. Pull it when the oil separates at the edges and the sauce coats a spoon but still moves. A splash of water if it gets too thick.
05
5. FINISH: off the heat, stir in the balsamic and the torn basil. Taste. Adjust the salt. More sugar only if it is sharp. Rest 20 minutes. Better the next day.

lightbulb The chef's notes

“The anchovy paste goes in with the tomato paste, not at the end, and it is saltier than fillets, so taste before you commit the full salt. Nobody will taste fish; they will taste a sauce that seems to have simmered twice as long as it did. The whole quart fits one container, keeps five days in the fridge and three months frozen, and a third of a cup per pizza is the ceiling, not the floor. On the night, a cup of it warm in a small pot is the dip for the garlic cheese bread.”