Need more liquid for tomato sauce - milk or stock?

xoxyx

Hi all,

I'm making a tomato sauce for pasta with veg, cheese and pesto. I'm going to need more liquid though 'cause I've only got one tin of tomatoes to hand (no puree either). I can't decide which might be better to add - milk or chicken stock. I have cornflour and butter so I could make a kind of light bechamel sauce if I was using the milk. What do you think? Cheers!

the beer revolu

I'd go with Chicken stock - and add some extra olive oil too.

Your bechamel idea would work too but it would be a totally different kind of sauce.

xoxyx

Cheers - yeah, I went with the stock. Am expecting good things from this sauce. Found some chickpeas too - it's amazing how inventive you can get when you're starving and can't make it to the shops!!!

the beer revolu

Chick peas in anything is good!!;)

kylith

Didn't want to start a new thread for this.

Was making my tomato sauce last night as usual (tinned tomatoes, sundried tomato paste, garlic, salt, squirt of ketchup, and herbs) but it was quite acidic. I stirred in a little cream cheese and that helped a bit but I still found it too acidic for my taste. Any recommendations on how I can avoid/fix this in future?

quaalude

kylith wrote: »

Didn't want to start a new thread for this.

Was making my tomato sauce last night as usual (tinned tomatoes, sundried tomato paste, garlic, salt, squirt of ketchup, and herbs) but it was quite acidic. I stirred in a little cream cheese and that helped a bit but I still found it too acidic for my taste. Any recommendations on how I can avoid/fix this in future?

How long did you cook it for?
Your recipe sounds very similar to my own go-to tomato sauce - I cook it for minimum 45 minutes. It gets less acidic the more it's cooked, I find.

ohmfg

I would always add sugar if using tinned tomatoes.
I know there is sugar in the ketchup but tinned tomatoes are/can be very acidic.

Faith

Yeah, I always add a teaspoon of sugar per tin of tomatoes. I'd also replace the ketchup with tomato puree. If you're using any ketchup but Heinz, they've very vinegary, so they'll make the dish more acidic.

kylith

quaalude wrote: »

How long did you cook it for?
Your recipe sounds very similar to my own go-to tomato sauce - I cook it for minimum 45 minutes. It gets less acidic to more it's cooked, I find.

That could be it; I was in a rush and only had 15 minutes to cook in. I'll simmer longer next time.

I added in some sugar when I realised how acidic it was, but I didn't want to go too far the other way.

quaalude

kylith wrote: »

That could be it; I was in a rush and only had 15 minutes to cook in. I'll simmer longer next time.

I added in some sugar when I realised how acidic it was, but I didn't want to go too far the other way.

Right - 15 mins deffo isn't long enough.

Re: sugar/ketchup - I use Heinz always. As Faith says above, others are too vinegary.
I've tried using sugar and no ketchup, and I can't get it to taste as good. The ketchup adds some body, somehow, that the sugar doesn't.

kylith

quaalude wrote: »

Right - 15 mins deffo isn't long enough.

Re: sugar/ketchup - I use Heinz always. As Faith says above, others are too vinegary.
I've tried using sugar and no ketchup, and I can't get it to taste as good. The ketchup adds some body, somehow, that the sugar doesn't.

Lesson learned; cook tomatoes properly and don't hang over the pot yelling "Reduce faster, you backstart!" any more.

I only use Heinz ketchup, anything else just tastes wrong.

billybudd

honey instead of sugar works well and will add to the consistency and will take care of acid. also blending at the end is a good idea as it will intensify all flavour, as for ketchup? why :rolleyes:

quaalude

billybudd wrote: »

honey instead of sugar works well and will add to the consistency and will take care of acid. also blending at the end is a good idea as it will intensify all flavour, as for ketchup? why :rolleyes:

Why use ketchup? Because it makes it taste really nice. I make most everything from scratch, so lashing ketchup into a sauce isn't something I'd normally do, but I've tried many other ways and it just doesn't have the same richness.

However, I've never tried honey, so I will give this a go and report back.

quaalude

kylith wrote: »

Lesson learned; cook tomatoes properly and don't hang over the pot yelling "Reduce faster, you backstart!" any more.

Ah, but shouting at dinner is so therapeutic!

billybudd

quaalude wrote: »

Why use ketchup? Because it makes it taste really nice. I make most everything from scratch, so lashing ketchup into a sauce isn't something I'd normally do, but I've tried many other ways and it just doesn't have the same richness.

However, I've never tried honey, so I will give this a go and report back.

ok so make a big batch using this recipe an put them into air tight containers and i guarantee you will never have to use ketchup

2 lrge spanish onions
6 cloves of garlic

roast onions and garlic in the over with some olive oil and two sprigs of rosemary minus the sprigs until goldenbrown.

transfer to pot and add one small cup of balsamic vinegar and reduce till evaporates, throw in one whole red chili and then add 6 tins of chopped or whole canned tomatoes, simmer on low heat for 1.5 hrs, add honey around a quarter of a small squeezi ? blottle, add one small bunch of fresh basil, 1 ts of smoked parika and then bend all with a handheld blender, leave to cool (salt/cracked black) pepper, and check what seasoning it needs sput into air tight jars and refridgerate, will last a good few weeks.

quaalude

billybudd wrote: »

ok so make a big batch using this recipe an put them into air tight containers and i guarantee you will never have to use ketchup

2 lrge spanish onions
6 cloves of garlic

roast onions and garlic in the over with some olive oil and two sprigs of rosemary minus the sprigs until goldenbrown.

transfer to pot and add one small cup of balsamic vinegar and reduce till evaporates, throw in one whole red chili and then add 6 tins of chopped or whole canned tomatoes, simmer on low heat for 1.5 hrs, add honey around a quarter of a small squeezi ? blottle, add one small bunch of fresh basil, 1 ts of smoked parika and then bend all with a handheld blender, leave to cool (salt/cracked black) pepper, and check what seasoning it needs sput into air tight jars and refridgerate, will last a good few weeks.

That sounds brilliant, billybudd - thanks so much for typing this out, much appreciated! I will certainly try this and report back

sponge_bob

I will rustle up a batch of you sauce at the weekend Billybud and see how it goes.
sounds good anyhow.:)

Spanish Eyes

Just bought a bottle of a new (to me) tomato ketchup - Hellmans. Nice texture and taste. Just thought I'd throw that out there.