Julia Child’s Provincial Tomato Sauce
Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Intermediate6
servings20
minutes1
hour15
minutesWhen I first saw this recipe, I had to make this sauce. It had all the flavor profiles to lure me into the kitchen and make this. I love all the herbs: thyme, bay leaf, and basil. I love the seasonings: saffron, coriander, and fennel. The addition of orange peel just sounded amazing and I was not disappointed! This sauce is amazing. It works with pasta but also works with chicken, duck, pork and lamb. You can’t go wrong either way. It is wonderfully flavorful and makes your home smell fantastic. I am not surprised as Julia Child is a hero of mine. Her recipes are created in love and her passion for cooking especially for those she loved was something she truly cherished. I love cooking for friends and family. It is my way of showing people how much I care about them. So much love goes into each preparation as well as time creating a perfect menu.
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 teaspoons flour
6 ripe tomatoes, quartered, I use whatever is growing in my garden
1/8 teaspoon sugar
4 cloves garlic, pressed
A large herb bouquet: 8 sprigs fresh parsley, 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs fresh thyme, all tied in a cheesecloth with kitchen twine
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or basil or marjoram
Large pinch of saffron threads
1 dozen coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 two inch piece dried orange peel or 1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel, such as Penzey’s
2 to 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
Directions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, until tender but not brown. Sprinkle on the flour and cook slowly for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, do not brown.
- Using a food processor, with the coarse grating blade, feed the tomatoes through the feed tube. Go slowly to avoid overfilling the machine. You want to make a coarse puree.
- Stir the tomatoes, sugar, garlic, herb bouquet, fennel, basil, saffron, coriander, orange peel and 1 teaspoon salt into the pot. Cover and slowly cook for about 10 minutes, you want the tomatoes to render their juice. Then uncover and allow to simmer for 1 hour, until thick. The sauce is done when it tastes thoroughly cooked and is thick enough to stick to the spoon (like cranberry sauce). Remove herb bouquet and taste. Season with salt and pepper, sugar and tomato paste and simmer 2 more minutes. The sauce can be used right away or refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
