Provençale Sauce Recipes

PROVENCALE SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.
• When hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, then the chopped onion. Season with a little salt and pepper.
• Cook the onions for about 6 minutes until they begin to soften but don't let them brown. Be sure to stir often so they don't burn.
• Add the tomatoes, cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes to let the tomatoes release their juices. Again, don't forget to stir to help things along.
• Add the wine and simmer the tomatoes uncovered on medium-low to medium heat for about 50 minutes or until the sauce gets thick and there is very little liquid left.
• Using a blender, food processor or food mill, whatever you have available in your kitchen, carefully puree the sauce and reserve. Clean and dry the saucepan to cook the garlic, capers and olives.
• Heat the saucepan over medium-low heat and when hot, add the ¼ cup of olive oil.
• Add the chopped garlic and saute for about 5 minutes until golden but don't let the garlic burn.
• Add the capers and chopped olives and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Transfer the cooked tomato sauce back to the saucepan and stir in the fresh herbs. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
• The sauce is ready to be served over chicken, fish, meat or pasta. If you don't use it all up, freeze some for a later meal. Great to have this sauce on-hand.

JULIA CHILD'S PROVENçALE TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Sprinkle on the flour and cook slowly for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally; do not brown.
• Meanwhile, fit a food processor with the coarse grating blade. Working in batches to avoid overfilling the machine, push the tomatoes through the feed tube to make a coarse purée.
• Stir the tomatoes, sugar, garlic, herb bouquet, fennel, basil, saffron, coriander, orange peel and 1 teaspoon salt into the pot. Cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes, so the tomatoes will render more of their juice. Then uncover and simmer for about an hour, until thick. The sauce is done when it tastes thoroughly cooked and is thick enough to form a mass in the spoon. Remove herb bouquet and taste. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and tomato paste, and simmer two minutes more. The sauce may be used immediately, refrigerated or frozen for up to 6 months.

PROVENCAL OVEN-ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. and lightly brush 2 shallow baking pans with oil.
• Separate garlic head into cloves, discarding loose papery outer skin but keeping skin intact on cloves, and wrap in foil, crimping seams to seal tightly. Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange in one layer in baking pans. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of rosemary and thyme evenly over tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Put foil-wrapped garlic in one of baking pans with tomatoes and roast garlic and tomatoes in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, about 35 minutes total, or until garlic is tender and tomatoes are slightly charred. Unwrap garlic and cool slightly. Peel skins from each clove and force pulp with warm tomatoes and herbs through a food mill fitted with small disk into a bowl.
• Finely chop remaining teaspoon rosemary and remaining teaspoon thyme and stir into sauce with orange juice. Season sauce with salt and pepper and reheat if necessary. Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 4 days or, frozen, 4 months. Reheat sauce over low heat and reseason with orange juice, salt, and pepper.

MUSSELS WITH TOMATOES, HERBS AND GARLIC (MOULES PROVENçALE)

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, celery, garlic, basil and bouquet garni, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not browned.
• Mix in the tomato paste and tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Put the mussels in a casserole dish with the wine, over high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes only, until the mussels have opened, stirring frequently to ensure they are evenly cooked.
• Pour off the cooking liquid, discard any mussels that have not opened, and return the opened mussels, in their shells, to the casserole dish.
• Pour the hot tomato sauce over the mussels and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve at once.

PASTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Plunge fresh tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds and remove skins. Chop pulp coarsely if using fresh tomatoes.
• Heat oil in heavy pot; add onions and cook until transparent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Break up tomatoes as they cook.
• Remove parsley, bay leaf and orange peel. Freeze. To serve, reheat, correct seasonings and serve over spaghetti or spaghetti squash. Allow 2 to 3 ounces dried spaghetti per person.