A Finer Tomata Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Stew very gently a dozen fine red tomatoes, prepared as for the preceding receipt, with two or three sliced eschalots, four or five chilies or a capsicum or two (or in lieu of either, with a quarter teaspoonful of cayenne pepper), a few small dice of lean ham, and half a cupful of rich gravy.
Stir the mixture often, and when the tomatoes are reduced to a smooth pulp, rub them through a sieve.
Put the sieved sauce into a clean saucepan, add a few spoonfuls more of rich gravy or Espagnole, add salt if needed, and boil the sauce stirring it well for ten minutes.
Serve
Serve the sauce very hot.
Notes
If the gravy is exceedingly good and highly flavoured, the ham may be omitted.
A dozen small mushrooms may also be sliced and stewed with the tomatoes, instead of the eschalots, when their flavour is preferred, or they may be added with them.
The exact proportion of liquid used is immaterial; if the sauce is too thin, reduce it by rapid boiling, and if too thick, dilute with more gravy.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
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)
- Break down into a smooth pulp that forms the body and flavour of the sauce.
- Rich gravy
- Adds liquid, savoury depth and body to the sauce.
- Eschalots
- Add a mild savoury aroma as they stew with the tomatoes.
- Chilies
- Add heat and pungency to the sauce.
The step that matters
Stewing the tomatoes very gently and stirring often. Slow heat lets the tomatoes break down into a smooth pulp without scorching; high heat can burn the sugars and stick to the pan, giving a bitter, uneven sauce.
“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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