Botticelli’s rich Italian tomato sauce – Recipe

Make plenty of the sauce at one time

I do not exaggerate when I say that I have spent about 35 years perfecting my Italian tomato sauce. As I have stated before, I have many different tomato-based sauces that I use with different kinds of Italian food (e.g., see my Ragù finto or pizza sauce recipes), but this is my favorite. It is fabulous with lasagna and other cheese and noodle dishes that require a rich and zesty tomato sauce. I always make this sauce with Italian sausage (try my fresh Italian sausage). Sometimes I will use meatballs instead. But the sausage gives a wonderful flavor to the sauce and vice versa. I also make a lot of sauce at one time, because it has to cook for 4 hours. Later, I will show you how you can bottle the sauce to preserve it.

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Chicago Vs New York Style Pizza – A Tasty Rivalry

Everyone has their own favorite types of pizza and that includes the crust, sauce, and toppings. A lot of people would choose a New York style as their favorite kind. New York pizza is round and has a thin base, which is both chewy and crisp.

The slices are usually only topped with one, two, or perhaps three toppings, in order for the crust to stay crisp rather than go soggy. New Yorkers tend to fold this delicious snack in half while eating it, to make it easier to handle.

Other names for this tasty treat include “regular slice” or “regular pie.” Ordering a “plain slice” means, you only want cheese on top. You can order a slice or a whole eighteen inch diameter pie, which can be cut into eight slices. Slicing it into wedges or slices, rather than squares, is also known as “party cut” or “tavern cut.”

This variety originated at the turn of the twentieth century in New York City. Tomato sauce and mozzarella were the other original recipe toppings. The New York style has a hand-tossed crust and the sauce is minimal. It makes a great street snack. High-gluten bread flour is used to make the crust of a New York style pizza and this is what differentiates it from many other varieties.

Chicago Style

A Chicago-style pizza tends to be deep-dish and this style developed in Chicago. This delicious snack has a three inch base, which can be up to three inches tall at the edge. The base functions like a bowl, holding the cheese, tomato sauce and other chunky fillings inside. Stuffed pizza is a variation of the Chicago one. The original deep-dish recipe, which Chicago is famed for, was first created at Chicago’s Pizzeria Uno in 1943.

A pan pizza is similar to the deep-dish variety but these have thick crusts, which are comparable to focaccia. These have the cheese and toppings on top of the sauce, unlike the deep-dish or stuffed varieties. This makes the pan variety similar to a New York one, only with a much thicker bottom.

You can also get thin and crunchy bases in Chicago, unlike the New York ones, which are more chewy than crunchy. These would be topped with lots of herby Italian tomato sauce, various toppings, and then cheese. This recipe is cut into squares rather than slices.

So, Which is Best?

You can see from the descriptions that the Chicago variety is the complete opposite to a New York one. A lot of people enjoy both types of pizza. Perhaps a New York pizza is nice when you are in a hurry and you want to grab some fast food to eat as you walk. This foldable feast is flavorful as well as convenient.

The Chicago style recipe is something that you might order if you are really hungry and you want something doughy, filling, and tasty, offering a fluffy crust as well as plenty of different ingredients and fillings. Trying different types of this delicious snack is a lot of fun and making your own is the best way to match your crust, sauce, and topping preferences.

There are lots of different types of pizza and different people have different ideas about which is best. The easiest way to make your perfect pizza recipe is to make homemade pizza – everything from the crust and pizza sauce recipe to the toppings can be prepared simply and conveniently at home.

 

On Hand Pizza Sauce Recipes

The wonderful thing about cooking is the unlimited variety you can enjoy. A Google search for italian pizza sauce recipes currently turns up over two million result pages. Are there really two million ways to make pizza sauce?

As it turns out, there is a foundation to making pizza sauce. The more typical recipes use crushed tomatoes, tomato paste with herbs like garlic and basil. The specific amounts and ratios used determine the overall flavor, or the basic foundation of the sauce.

Other ingredients can be added to further deepen the flavor. Some add chili powders or flakes to make the sauce sing hot while others add brown sugar or honey. Some saute onions or even potato slices  and then add them (or just their juices.) Others add fennel and other fresh herbs and some flour to thicken the sauce. And of course, a little salt and pepper go a long way toward adjusting the taste to suit.

One exciting method I have seen recommended is what I call The Experiment. You take your leftover meats, cut them into small chunks or slices and cook them down so they are soft and dripping with juices. Add some fresh herbs that you might have along with a selection of whatever flaked and powdered herbs that you find in your cupboard. Add all this to the sauce and let it simmer to distribute the flavors.

Perhaps your first experiment will be a fabulous success that your family and friends insist that you keep making. Perhaps not – and if not, after tasting it you will have an idea about what more needs to be added or what you added too much of. It is usually best to add smaller amounts of something new and increase them over time to suit your taste.

The best thing about this is that every recipe you create will be yours and yours alone, limited only by the selection of ingredients you have on hand. Over time you will begin to understand that some ingredients work better with others and this may inspire other choices from your pantry or while you are in the grocery store. Once you have a crowd pleaser coming out of your oven, make sure to write the recipe down so you can repeat it.

It is worth noting that other things will affect the flavor of the pizza and how the sauce flavors work with it. You can choose different kinds of crusts and a wide variety of cheeses but also your oven and the heat used will influence the flavor. This is one reason why it is not always possible to replicate your favorite pizza sauce exactly.

And that is a good reason to sometimes let your favorite pizza place do the cooking for you. You just can’t get Fritz’s Pizza from anywhere else in the world.

Pizza Sauce from Scratch

A good pizza sauce recipe will have lots of natural ingredients. Using whole ingredients–from the produce section of your grocery store–will make a delicious and flavorful sauce.  If you’re sure to use organic produce, you’ll make a pizza that’s healthful, natural, and genuinely good for you.  Preparing a sauce from scratch will help show that you’re a good cook–most people can’t make pizza sauce happen.  You and I are going to come up with a reason for you to brag.  You made that sauce.  We’re not going to grab the can opener. We grabbed some tomatoes and made delectable pizza. I’m stoked.  I hope you are too.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

About 12 plum tomatoes, seeded, skinned, and pureed in a food processor 
1 white onion, chopped fine 
2 tablespoons of olive oil 
2 tablespoons garlic

2 tablespoons sugar 
1 tbsp salt 
1/2 tablespoon red pepper 
2 tablespoons minced garlic

Heat oil and sweat your onions and garlic.  Your kitchen will start to smell pretty good.

Add the pureed tomatoes, along with the rest of the dry ingredients. Boil briefly, then reduce heat and simmer for six to eight hours.

There you have it! You’ve made all-natural an excellent pizza sauce, starting with ingredients that came right up out of the ground.  Spread it lightly on some pizza dough–too much sauce will tend to make a soggy pizza.  This recipe will make about four pizzas worth of sauce; you can refrigerate or freeze any leftovers for next time.

Try this recipe today and let me know what you think about it!

The perfect pizza sauce and the final pizza – Recipe

Simple is best

 

You might be surprised to learn that traditional Napolitano pizza sauce is usually quite simple. I have tasted hundreds of tomato sauces and the simplest seems the best for our Napolitano pizza crust. Take a look at the origin of pizza.

 

Ingredients (for 7-8 11 inch pizzas):

 

2- 28 oz cans diced plum tomatoes – I recommend San Marzano plum tomatoes from Italy but they may be hard to find so you can go with other varieties.
4 garlic cloves finely minced – this can be placed on the pizza directly or in the sauce
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To taste salt and pepper
6 tablespoons fresh basil leaves finely chopped (don’t even think about using dry) – the whole leaves can be placed on the pizza below the cheese instead.
2 teaspoons sugar (add more if you prefer a sweeter sauce)
To taste red pepper flakes

 

Instructions:

 

Pizza sauce

 

I sometimes leave out the basil and garlic and sprinkle over the sauce once the sauce is on the pizza (use whole basil leaves if you do this). Try both ways and see which you prefer. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat and then add the garlic. Allow the garlic to sizzle for about 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes. Crank the heat up to high and once the sauce starts to boil bring it back down to medium low. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Next, add the basil and sugar and cook for another two minutes. That’s it!

 

 

Sauce

Wood grill

 

At this point you should prepare your grill as I suggest in an earlier article getting it heated up to about 700 degrees F with the wood (see wood burning grill).

 

 

Burning wood

Mozzarella

 

Now we are ready to make the pizza. But before we begin let’s talk about the mozzarella cheese. In a later article, I will show you how to make your own mozzarella from scratch. But for your first pizza, I recommend buying freshly made whole milk mozzarella. You will notice a big difference in the taste if the mozzarella is fresh. Buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) is typically used in Italy and made from the milk of a water buffalo rather than a cow. If you can find this cheese (at a reasonable price) go for it. It makes a huge difference.

 

 

Mozzarella di bufala

Shaping the dough

 

By now, your dough should be proofed for 4 to 8 hours and ready for shaping. Place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface and place 8 fingers (no thumbs) pressing along the edge farthest away from you. Move fingertips toward you pressing into the dough until you reach the other edge. Do this once again and then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat twice this way. Your dough should be about 8 to 9 inches across.

 

 

Dough preparation

Throwing the dough around

 

To get good at what follows all I can say is practice. You can place the dough on one hand and flip it between your hands gently. Then use your fists on the outside and gently spread your fists apart as you move the dough in a circle over your fists. You are aiming to get an 11 inch round flat dough with even thickness. Half the fun is learning how to shape and thin the dough.

 

 

Dough forming

Sauce, cheese, and oil

 

Place the dough on a pizza pan and add the sauce to the center. Use the back of the ladle in circular motions to spread the sauce. This would be the time to add the garlic and basil if you did not add it to the sauce. Now here is where I digress from the Napolitano pizza. Typically they will cut 2 oz slices and spread it over the pizza. I like to grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the pizza (I like mozzarella). Once the cheese is on, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over the pizza starting at the center and circling outward.

 

 

Cooking the pizza

Now you are cooking

 

Place the pizza as close to the burning wood as possible and shut the lid. When one side begins to brown twirl the pizza slightly trying not to let out too much heat. Do this until the pizza is fully cooked.

Enjoy.

 

 

I added pepperoni and mushrooms to this one.

You Can Also Write your Own Pizza Sauce Recipe

There are many varieties of pizza. These varieties are pizza dough, pizza sauces & pizza toppings. If you want to make pizza at home, then pizza sauce recipe is the best option & it likes a fun to make this pizza at home.

If you are a health conscious person, then the pizza sauce recipe is made up of the very simple, low fat tomato sauce, various types of vegetables & fish also. In addition, there are some sauce recipes, which are made by using the cream & butter.

Types of pizza sauce:There are two types of pizza sauce. One is called as pizza sauce, which is cooked, & other one is pizza sauce that is not cooked.

The both pizza sauce has its benefits. The first benefit of the cooked pizza sauce is that if there is a winter, then there are very less type of fresh herbs. On other hand, the cooked pizza sauce, there is the absorption of the taste of dry herbs.

If you want to maintain the pizza sauce, which is cooked, then you can keep this pizza in trays of the ice. you can bag them in the plastic bag. Therefore, in this way you can get readymade pizza, which is made in the home.

There are some spices, which are used to increase the taste & maintenance of the pizza sauce. Many herbs are also used to increase the taste. There are some herbs & spices, which are used in pizza sauce generally. These herbs are basil, thyme, marjoram, mint, savory & oregano. Among that the most famous spices, which are used in the pizza sauce, is Oregano.

You can make your sauce very tasty & spicy by adding steeped liquid olive oil into this sauce. We can keep the sauce for preservation in the refrigerator & so we can put this sauce directly on the pizza base of the dough, which is dry, & the pizza, which is uncooked.

There are some types of the olive oils, which are very useful making the pizza sauce tasty & spicy. First, one is the southwestern sauce that is used in the pizza sauce with herbs like cummin and black pepper, garlic & oregano. This type of southwestern sauce is used to make pizza sauce recipes.

The second type of olive oil is California oil sauce is used to make pizza sauce with garlic, oregano, basil, chili flakes.

The third type of olive oil is the Garlic oil & this is used in the pizza sauce by infusing olive oil with garlic. There are various recipes of pizza sauce is available by using the garlic oil.

There is one type of pizza sauce called as Canning pizza sauce. We can preserve the sauce by using this pizza sauce in any season of the year. There is the benefit of the canning pizza that we do not see in the freezing pizza sauce. This benefit is that we can keep this canning pizza sauce in the garage & the barn also.

Pizza sauce recipe is the nutritious food – -try it!