Food Talk  Discussion Forum

Kevin

If you are reading this,please write the recipe for pizza sauce kevin replied. wow, i am flattered to be asked. i just noticed that there is a very good pizza sauce recipe on the original posting right now. but i will talk a bit about pizza sauces and find a recipe or two.

first off, what i have noticed in eating pizza on several continents and in lots of countries and regions, is that each region/country has an 'ideal' pizza sauce that fits for those people. in germany there is no garlic in the sauce. in brazil there are no hot-spicy spices in it (they barely use black pepper and consider sweet green bell peppers (capsicum?) as hot. this being said, i would say to feel free to add as many or as few indian spices to your pizza sauce. (a very popular pizza in california is tandoori chicken pizza. it is a regular pizza w/tandoori chicken strips on top and then a mango chutney drizzled over the top. maybe some fresh methi leaves, too. anyway, it is surprisingly good. i took a friend from mumbai to eat one one time. he thought it would be the loser in the cross cultural wars. he was surprised to find that he thought it was delicious.

so, one thing that i always use when making my own pizza sauce is tomato paste. it has an intense tomato flavor and helps to thicken the sauce, too. now, if you have fresh ripe tomatoes, use them. it will take a lot of boiling down, but it will be incredible. canned tomatoes are fine too. i do have to admit that what i often find myself doing (for speed and practicality) is using a jar of spaghetti sauce... and a good one, and adding things to it.
here are some of the things that i add to it:
tomato paste
red wine (half cup)
minced garlic
oregano (and lots of it)
marjoram (1 or 2 tsp)
parsley (fresh or dried)
parmesan cheese, grated (thickens & gives flavor)
balsamic vinegar (1 or 2 teaspoons)
a bit of salt
a bit of pepper
red pepper flakes (just a few)
fresh basil
bay leaves (i am terrible. i will use 5 or 6 or more. of course i take them out afterward, as we cannot digest them)
a little sugar (helps to bring out the taste of the tomatoes and cuts through a bitterness or sourness that can occur. only abt 1 teaspoon is needed. also, the balsamic has a lot of sugar in it, so be cautious in using it.
at least one onion, finely chopped. or minced.
green bell pepper, finely chopped or minced. (can be optional)
fresh mushrooms, finely chopped. (it can be 5 or 6 mushrooms or 1/4 kg of mushrooms. your choice) they give a nice flavor to the sauce, and you can add sliced fresh mushrooms to the top when it is cooking to match the taste of the sauce)
olive oil. a bit in the sauce, and always for sauteing the garlic/onions/mushrooms/green peppers/etc before adding to the sauce.
celery, chopped very finely. adds a nice flavor to the sauce.

what you do is saute the veggies in the olive oil. add the onions/green peppers/celery first. when nearly done, add the crushed garlic and continue for 1 or 2 minutes. then stir in the jar of spaghetti sauce or can of tomatoes (chopped first or diced) or can of tomato sauce and the tomato paste. add the spices and herbs. add a bit of olive oil if you think it necessary. bring to a boil. turn the heat down to very very low and simmer for an hour, uncovered. you want it to evaporate. stir often enough to keep it from burning on the bottom. (every 5-10 minutes) (you may want a screen over the top of the pot, as the tomato sauce will form little 'volcanos' that spit sauce all over the stove and kitchen)

at the end of an hour, it should be nice and thick. taste it for 'intensity'. remove the bay leaves. correct the taste as you see fit. (unless it is too salty, then you have a problem) it might be at this point where it would be good to add indian spices to make it truly an indian pizza. i would remove some sauce into a little bowl and mix it with some masalas or kasuri methi or sambhar powder (i like sambhar in pizza sauce, abt 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon...just for a hint of flavor) anyway, mix it into the sauce in the bowl and taste it. if you like the flavor, add the spice to the pot. if not, try another sampling. a little bit of hing (asafoetida) can give a nice aroma to the sauce. (too much is not good, tho, for me) i have friends that are vietnamese that always put 2 or 3 teaspoons of nuoc mam (fish sauce[anchovies]) into their italian pasta sauces. surprisingly, it turns out with an incredible flavor. maybe it shouldn't be so surprising, as in ancient rome the main seasoning was called masala and was made exactly the same way that the vietnamese make nuoc mam (anchovies in a barrel with salt and water, then aged. sounds disgusting, but o well)

ash, i wish you good luck with this. and i hope you don't mess up the kitchen too badly. also, experiment with it. use different things to start it out (spaghetti sauce, a can of tomatoes, a can of roma or plum tomatoes, fresh roma or plum tomatoes (usually used in tomato sauce. remove the skin before making sauce, too) regular tomatoes (more liquid inside, takes longer to boil down), etc.

best of luck,
kevin