Common Tomata Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Remove stalks, halve tomatoes, squeeze out seeds and pulp.
Make the sauce
Stew tomatoes softly with a few spoonfuls of gravy or strong broth until melted, about 1/2 to 3/4 hour or longer if needed.
If no gravy or broth, stew tomatoes gently in a couple ounces of butter with cayenne and salt, or with a little minced onion.
Press the mixture through a hair‑sieve.
Heat the strained sauce with a little additional gravy if it is too thick, and add cayenne and salt.
If desired, add a few spoonfuls of rich cream mixed with a little flour to prevent curdling, stir without ceasing, and boil for four or five minutes.
For a large tureen, increase proportions; if too liquid, reduce by quick boiling.
Serve
Rub through a sieve, heat, and serve without addition, or with a teaspoonful of chili vinegar.
Serve the sauce very hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Provide the main body and flavour of the sauce as they break down when stewed.
- Gravy or strong broth
- Adds savoury depth and liquid so the tomatoes melt into a smooth sauce.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat and richness when the tomatoes are stewed without gravy or broth.
- Rich cream (in the method)
- Adds richness and body to the finished sauce.
The step that matters
Adding the cream. Cream mixed with flour and stirred constantly while boiling helps prevent curdling. Letting it boil without stirring can cause the dairy proteins to clump and separate.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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