Pizza Sauce

HawkeyeSmokes · October 21, 2009, 05:42:42 PM

I think switching from the tomato paste to the canned tomatoes Deb mentioned would make a big difference. I use the same type (different brand) to make spaghetti sauce that comes out pretty good. And I do use some fennel in that.

deb415611 · October 21, 2009, 05:48:17 PM

Arnie,

Pizzamaking.com

It's a great forum on pizzamaking

If you go to this thread and go down to reply #36 you will see some greek pizzas that I made a few years ago. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,691.20.html The key to greek pizza is the cheese - mozzarella & cheddar

Deb

deb415611 · October 21, 2009, 05:53:01 PM

Quote from: HawkeyeSmokes on October 21, 2009, 05:42:42 PM
I think switching from the tomato paste to the canned tomatoes Deb mentioned would make a big difference. I use the same type (different brand) to make spaghetti sauce that comes out pretty good. And I do use some fennel in that.

For spaghetti sauce I use 2 cans of Cento Italian Plum tomatoes (not the DOP san marzano) & 2 cans of the Pastene Kitchen Ready Ground Tomatoes

Saute minced onion & carrot, add minced garlic then the tomatoes (I hand crush the plum tomatoes). Oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, black pepper, cayenne and/or crushed red pepper

HawkeyeSmokes · October 21, 2009, 06:03:12 PM

That sounds great Deb. Booked marked and saved it so I can try that!

ArnieM · October 21, 2009, 06:17:50 PM

Thanks for the pizza link Deb. I'm going to check that out. I'm not real good with dough. I hope the frozen stuff or getting some from the local pizza place will work.

Quote from: deb415611 on October 21, 2009, 05:53:01 PM

... (I hand crush the plum tomatoes).
I love hand-crushing them. It makes me feel good.

Oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, black pepper, cayenne and/or crushed red pepper

Pasta sauce - The last couple I've made involved putting the onion, garlic and spices into the food processor and turning it into a mush. Then, sweat it in some OO until it's really a mush. Add the spices, pretty much like yours. Finally, add some of those hand-crushed tomatoes. Cook low and slow. I haven't had the need for tomato paste. My wife, who is a good sauce maker, said "That's good. You can do it from now on." I think I screwed up. >:(

BigJohnT · October 22, 2009, 04:31:05 AM

Thanks for the link Deb, tons of info over there.

JT

Pachanga · October 22, 2009, 06:04:20 AM

BigJohnT

I have been on a pizza quest for years. Over that time I have had many failures but also turned out quite a few nice pies. My son just graduated form Chicago Law so there was a Chicago style search. My daughter toured Italy so there was a true Italian search. She now lives in New York so there was a New York Quest.

All that said I have come to the conclusion that starting with canned tomatoes is the only way to go. I have tried many varieties and have landed on Cento brand. They have many different styles in their branding. Cento San Marzano (DOP Certified) are the best. They are a little pricey so I use Cento Italian style or Cento San Marzano grown in California also. These are also readily available in my area.

This web site New York Stye pizza is more than you will ever want to know about pizza but it is worth reading and following. He covers a lot of canned tomato brands

http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

His dough works for NY style. I do not use his oven technique but arrive at something similar by placing a pizza stone two racks from the top and preheating to 500 degrees. Then turn to broil a few minutes before putting the pizza in the oven. This fellow does not make a sauce. He just uses the canned tomatoes. It works.

That being said, I think the missing ingredient in most cooked sauces is fresh basil, 10 to 12 leaves per can of tomatoes. Other top ingredients are Dash of crushed Red Pepper, 1 stem of leaves of Fresh Oregano, 1 stem of leaves of Fresh Marjoram, Pinch of Italian Seasoning. A splash of red wine is also a good addition. Fresh garlic or caramelized garlic to taste can be the difference. A smidgen of Tarragon can be a missing background flavor.

I have found that in sauce, less can be more and also less sauce on the pizza is certainly more.

Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella is my main cheese unless it is a kids pizza or I am doing Chicago style.

When I use just canned tomatoes (no cooking), I always add fresh basil to the pizza, hidden under meat to keep it from burning or I sprinkle it on just out of the oven.

Lastly, the Super Peel (http://www.superpeel.com/) has changed my frustration level by letting me use wet dough and still be able to get it off the counter. It works as advertised and is worth every penny.

The dream of course is a wood fired pizza oven but I doubt it will ever be justified.

Pachanga

BigJohnT · October 22, 2009, 06:09:27 AM

Pachanga,

WOW, that is a bunch of good information.

Thanks
John

Pachanga · October 22, 2009, 06:21:19 AM

BigJohnT,

I wanted to add that I can live with any of the herbs I mentioned being dried except for the Basil and garlic. I would even go with dried granulated garlic but the basil must be fresh. I grow my own and will vacuum pack and freeze a lot of it in 12 leaf bunches and it is as good as fresh.

I know that the web site I mentioned is information overload but spend some time on it and I think your pizza will benefit.

I made two pies just last night and I have several tubs of dough in the fridge ready to go just like the web sight describes. The dough is good for a week at least.

Deb and I seem to be on a similar page from what I read in her post. Our Marinara is nearly the same except for the carrots, I go with bell pepper and basil. I have read many recipes with carrots and now she has inspired me to try them. The 6 -1 tomatoes she mentions are used in a lot of Chicago Style pizzas.

Pachanga

BigJohnT · October 24, 2009, 03:49:19 PM

Ok gang it's pizza night here in swamp east Missouri. All I could find locally here in Poplar Bluff was Hunt's crushed tomatoes. Well we had to go to the big city of Cape Girardeau to get my wife's Honda serviced today so we made a trip to Schnuck's to see what we could find... I found some Culinaria San Marzano DOP tomatoes there and a couple of six packs of Weihenstephaner Original Premium. Then we stopped by Sam's Club and filled our basket with goodies. I got a couple of rather large pork loins, can you say Canadian Bacon?

Ok back on the subject of the sauce, I took one can of the San Marzano tomatoes and drained and pulled out most of the seeds and a few other things that didn't look like good eats. Whipped out the stick blender and put a whooping on it for a few seconds. I added some fresh chopped basil, some oregano, some garlic powder, and a little salt. This is SO much better than my paste sauce that I can't believe my taste buds. It's resting at the moment and I wish I had the time to make some real pizza crust... next time.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
John

HawkeyeSmokes · October 24, 2009, 04:04:32 PM

Way to go John, sounds like your well on the way to being a pizza pro! ;D Going to make the changes to your web page with it?

BigJohnT · October 24, 2009, 04:08:58 PM

Just as soon as I get done eating one LOL with my smoked Canadian Bacon. I can't wait for Scott to make his pepperoni cabinet so I can have some fresh home made pepperoni to go with my Canadian Bacon.

I can still taste the sauce from 1/2 hour ago and it is wonderful. I can't wait to cook them here in about an hour.

JT

BigJohnT · October 24, 2009, 05:29:07 PM

OH MY this is so much better than what I have done in the past it is unreal... I'm absolutely blown away by the difference. This can only get better from here.

JT

smokeitall · October 24, 2009, 06:04:18 PM

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 24, 2009, 04:08:58 PM
Just as soon as I get done eating one LOL with my smoked Canadian Bacon. I can't wait for Scott to make his pepperoni cabinet so I can have some fresh home made pepperoni to go with my Canadian Bacon.

I can still taste the sauce from 1/2 hour ago and it is wonderful. I can't wait to cook them here in about an hour.

JT

OK I will throw big brother Bradley in the truck on my way down this week (as long as its not raining). I will show you what I am thinking of doing, get your suggestions and get r done. As soon as I get that up and running I will get going on the fridge and get it working. Definitely time to make some pepperoni. I think I'm going to use your idea for regulating the temperature, probably have a lot of questions for Habs also. Only thing I will need is a humidifier. I throw the OBS in there also to do some minor modifications ;D
SIA

deb415611 · October 25, 2009, 05:15:57 AM

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 24, 2009, 05:29:07 PM
OH MY this is so much better than what I have done in the past it is unreal... I'm absolutely blown away by the difference. This can only get better from here.

JT

Glad it worked for you! Nothing better than pizza from your own oven!