Pizza Sauce
Like many people I’ve been making home made pizza recently - see blog here -but it’s a work in progress and just when you get it right …. you try a new pizza base and it all falls apart at the seams!
But my friend Marcin posted a pizza sauce recipe on instagram recently and it immediately caught my eye because there was onion and wine in it. I make a lot of tomato sauces - which I will be posting soon - but often I don’t put in onions - someone once told me you shouldn’t and I never put in wine!
Well let me tell you - the wine is a game changer and as I adore onions but I’m not crazy about them on pizza, it seemed to me that putting them in the sauce might be just the solution.
This sauce is something you have to make TODAY if you are going to be making pizza this weekend and it makes plenty - so you can use it on the pizza, put it in the fridge to use on wraps or as a passata during the week or it freezes beautifully for use again. I’m putting the recipe below which was cooked as per Marcin’s but there were 2 slight differences in the ingredients ….
Marcin - you were far more generous than I was willing to be with the wine! I was feeling thirsty on the night and I just couldn’t pour that much of my precious bottle into the saucepan! So where you used 200mls I only spared 120 😂. But thank you so much for introducing me to the wonder of wine in the sauce!
And when it came to the herbs - I’m highly allergic to Rosemary so I had to deviate here a little too. Anyway - my version is below and I’ll link to Marcin’s insta page under that!!
1 or 2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 med onions
4 medium cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Dried Herbs (I used a mix of Mixed Herbs, Oregano & Thyme)
2 Teaspoons Sugar (brown if have it)
120mls RED Wine
2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes (without herbs)
400mls Warm water
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
In a Large Saucepan slowly cook your onions for a few minutes and then add your garlic, herbs, and bay leaves. You don’t want the heat too high and remember to keep stirring. Keep cooking until you see a bit of colour appearing - not from burning obviously! Marcin says this is where the flavour starts to develop. Add your sugar - you sauce needs it. Keep cooking and add your large pinch of salt and a few twists of Black Pepper.
Now you want to add your Red Wine - and perhaps have a glass yourself 😉.
Cook the wine in for a few minutes and then add your 2 tins of Tomatoes and then fill one of the cans with warm water and add that too.
Bring this to the boil and then let it just simmer for AT LEAST 2 hours and anything up to 5. I did about 4 or 5 hours because my cooker is electric and sometimes you realise it’s turned itself down and you’ve lost your simmer! With Gas - you’ll need to check often that you aren’t boiling it. Once Cooked you can then blitz it for a smooth sauce.
All of this happens without a lid on the saucepan by the way and as it simmers and reduces you will not be able to resist the temptation to taste this many times!
So, it takes a long time to cook but its worth it and if you make it in the evening when you are having dinner and catching up on some Netflix its the perfect time to make it.
DM me with your thoughts if you try it or questions at Instagram or Twitter
Check out Marcin on Instagram HERE