En esta noticia
Tomato sauce is one of the most commonly used preparations in cooking. It can serve as a base for stews, accompany pastas and rice, or enhance dishes such as eggs, vegetables, and meatballs. However, achieving a balanced flavor without excessive acidity can be a challenge.
One of the most common solutions is to add sugar to counteract that flavor. However, chefs Ferran Adrià and Samantha Vallejo-Nágera recommend not resorting to this ingredient and instead opting for a good sauté of garlic, onion, and olive oil, accompanied by slow cooking.
How much garlic and olive oil to use
To prepare about 300 grams of tomato, the method uses 10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and three cloves of garlic, as well as a chopped onion. The first step is to heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat and cook slowly.
The sauté should be kept over the heat until the ingredients are very tender and lightly caramelized. This process brings natural sweetness and complexity to the flavor of the preparation, without the need to add sugar.
The ingredient that can be added before the tomato
Once the sauté is ready, crushed natural tomato, grated tomato, or peeled and chopped ripe tomatoes can be added, depending on the texture desired.
Samantha Vallejo-Nágera also suggests adding 50 ml of white wine to the sauté before adding the tomato. The alcohol should be allowed to evaporate, and only then is the tomato added to the preparation.
How long does the sauce need to cook
Cooking is another key point of this method. The sauce should be cooked over low heat for between 50 and 60 minutes, so that the water gradually evaporates and the flavors concentrate.
During that time, it is important to stir from time to time. The desired result is a thick, glossy sauce with a balanced flavor, in which the acidity of the tomato is offset by the flavors developed during the sauté and cooking.
The advice is to avoid oversalting
Another of Ferran Adrià’s tips is not to salt the sauce at the beginning of cooking. The chef recommends adjusting the amount of salt at the end, when the water has already reduced and the flavors are more concentrated.
This way, the final result can be better controlled, and the preparation can be prevented from becoming too intense after reduction.
How to achieve a finer or more rustic sauce
The texture can also be adapted according to the desired result. To obtain a finer sauce, you can blend the preparation once cooking is finished.
By contrast, those who prefer a more rustic texture can simply mash the tomato pieces while the sauce cooks, without needing to process it completely.
Thus, the method proposed by the chefs is based mainly on a good sauté, olive oil, garlic, and patience during cooking. In this way, the aim is to achieve a balanced tomato sauce without having to resort to sugar to mask its acidity.