It is finally July which means it is peak tomato season! This is the only time of the year I will eat a fresh tomato, so I try to take full advantage of it. I started off my tomato marathon with a classic recipe, Julia Child’s Tomato Sauce. I am a huge fan of Julia Child’s recipes, and one that always hits is her tomato sauce.
Julia does a few interesting things with her tomato sauce that you don’t see often. First, she recommends you peel the tomatoes first. This makes a more refined and silky sauce. It takes an extra 10 minutes, but it is totally worth it. Second, she uses flour in the sauce. Most tomato sauces are just reduced to thicken, but Julia calls for flour to thicken it, making a richer texture in my opinion. Here I used a gluten free flour and it turned out great. Third odd thing she does is use saffron and coriander. The first time I made it I was skeptical of these changes from a traditional tomato sauce, but after trying it I was blown away by how unique and delicious this sauce is. It quickly became a staple in my house when I need a tomato sauce!
Please note this is not my recipe! It comes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I have adjusted it to make it gluten free, but otherwise it is all Julia’s!
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SERVINGS: 4
- PREP TIME: 20 Mins
- ACTIVE TIME: 45 Mins
- TOTAL TIME: 1 Hr 5 Mins
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, minced
- salt
- 1 tbsp gluten free flour
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/8 tsp fennel
- 1/8 tsp basil
- pinch of saffron
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- 1 inch piece orange peel
- sachet of:
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- 4 parsley sprigs
Preparation:
STEP 1.
Boil a pot of water to peel the tomatoes. Score the tomato skin in an x mark where the core is. Core the tomato as well. Drop 3-4 tomatoes at a time into the boiling water and boil for 10-40 seconds until the skin begins to peel where you made the x. Remove and shock in ice water. Do this with all of the tomatoes.
STEP 2.
Peel the skin off of the tomatoes and then roughly dice, keeping the seeds and juice. Set aside.
STEP 3.
In a medium size pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once warm, add the onions and saute until translucent, salting as you go. This typically takes 3-5 minutes. Once the onions are cooked, sprinkle in the flour and coat the onions in it. Cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently.
STEP 4.
Stir in the remainder of the ingredients. Season with salt all over and bring up to a low simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes so the tomatoes release their juices.
STEP 5.
Uncover the the pot and simmer for another 20-30 minutes until desired thickness is reached. Make sure to frequently stir so the bottom of the pan doesn’t scorch. Once desired thickness is reached, turn of the heat.
STEP 6.
Remove the sachet and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve and enjoy!
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