One of my secrets to making a really great chunky sauce with lots of flavor is to add some hand-crushed peeled tomatoes. But I don’t mean just tomatoes you squish between your hands. That’s okay for sauces that simmer for hours. But for a fresher sauce like this, I pull out the stems, seeds, and any tough sections; break up the flesh; and, most important, drain the tomatoes well so they don’t dilute the sauce.
Notes
- For pureeing and blending sauces, especially in small quantities, an immersion blender is the way to go. It’s more convenient than a stand blender, and it will give you a better sense of the texture you’re getting as you use it.
- Since we’re using an uncooked pizza sauce, I recommend that you make it a day ahead, so the flavors can meld. It’s a good habit to get into: make your sauce when you ball your dough.
- This will make 1 cup (245 grams) of sauce, which will be enough for two 13-inch pizzas.
- The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days before using, or in the freezer for up to a month.
- Hand-crushed tomatoes
Ingredients
- 120 grams ground tomatoes - preferably 7/11 or DiNapoli, (4.5 ounces / ½ cup)
- 65 grams tomato paste - preferably SuperDolce, (2.2 ounces / ¼ cup)
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 5 grams extra virgin olive oil - (1 teaspoon)
- 55 grams hand-crushed tomatoes - (2 ounces / ¼ cup)
Instructions
- In a bowl or other deep container, combine the ground tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and oil.
- Puree with an immersion blender (if you haven’t yet invested in one, use a stand blender) until smooth.
- Stir in the hand-crushed tomatoes.
- Taste the sauce and add more salt if you think it needs it (tomato products vary widely in the amount of salt they contain).