How do you make an Italian tomato sauce? It’s a simple question – ask a few of your friends, however, and you’ll probably get totally different answers. But this is one of the reasons why Italian cooking is so expressive and loved here in the UK; there are no right or wrong answers. Some people will keep it simple, while others will add all sorts of aromatics, herbs and vegetables to add complexity to the final flavour. They might change things depending on whether the sauce is for pasta, pizza or a stew, or have an all-round basic recipe that they swear by.
Rather than dictate how a tomato sauce should be made, it’s better to look at the different factors, methods and ingredients that many cooks use to create their own interpretations of this simple dish. Some will suit certain dishes more than others, and it’s a good idea to swap, mix, match and tinker with different combinations until you’ve found a recipe you can call your own. Below are some basic questions you should ask yourself when coming up with a tomato sauce, which will result in different flavours and textures. At the end of the day, whatever you like best will be the perfect tomato sauce recipe.