... the other Black experience
What Are your favorite jar tomato sauces?
Just wondering, cause i like to make my own, but sometimes, i just want to "not try and impress myself in the kitchen" aspect of making a fresh tomato sauce. I usually just make pasta with a garlic and oil, but sometimes i want a tomato sauce. and frankly fresh tomato sauce is a bit expensive. I usually mix two brands together, to make my own special blend if i have to buy a jar.
So, i ask you, what are your favorites.
1) Has anyone tried Mids? I like Mids. Not too expensive, and not too cheap. Their Meat sauce is thick as hell, and a great "starter" sauce.
I just purchased, a jar of Del Grosso (The worst name you could choose for any food brand, by the way) It was 2/$3.00 at my local gracer, claims all the ingredients are real, is from Tipton, Pennsyvania. I can't wait to try it. It was on sale for the same price last week, but the Del Grosso name kept me from buying it, or using tomato sauce for the week.
But this week, i want to make meatballs.
So, i also bought a jar of Stancato's. Now that i think of it, that's another horrible name for a brand of food. Stancato's, We Stanc. I bought it cause it's local to my region, and relatively cheap. It's a meat sauce, and a little on the orange side.
All this because i had some left over tortillas, and wanted to wrap them around some meatballs and sauce.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rosenda on -
None of the affordable ones are any good to me. And yes some of the higher prices so called gourmet brands are okay but I cant afford that shit all the time.
Actually it's not that hard to make your own tomato sauce from canned whole or crushed tomatoes, if you're just using it for making some pasta. Cut up some onions and whole garlic, saute it in whatever oil you want to use or butter, stew it down til its soft and use it for whatever. Use that as is or add some dried basil or epazote or oregano and cook it in. After it's bubbling you can even add in red or white wine or lemon or lime juice if you want a tangy flavor.
Just any plain brand of whole or cut up canned tomatoes works fine and tastes fine.
I have heard the best tasting would be to buy any brand of San Marzano region tomatoes. I don't see them out here at the regular market at all, but I bet if you're in Chicago or New York you could find it easier. I'd have to go to a specialty grocery shop to get it here or buy it online and I'm not willing to do that right now.
Some people would also add in those tangy vinegary hot sauces for some bite, like Crystal or Tabasco. You just have to try out what ends up tasting good. But I seriously have yet to try any bottled brand and go "WOW that' better than homemade.".
If you have leftover tortillas, you could also fry them in some oil or butter, and then toss in some beated egg til it's cooked, and add in any meat you have and or sauce and cheese too. Voila, "chilaquiles".
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Permalink Reply by GodsavetheQueer on -
Newman's own or classico since i usually just go to walmart. But i still end up addin stuff to it anyway; mushrooms, onions, artichoke hearts, olives. Tasty. I want pasta now. Thank you.
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Permalink Reply by Rosenda on
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now that sounds delicious. i gotta try that.
alton brown's show is great. and he looks EXACTLY like thomas dolby back in the 80's to me.
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Permalink Reply by John E. Gold on -
Felipe said:thread interruption: I make this meat sauce from Alton Brown of food network once in a blue moon and everybody flips! it is an all day event so I usually do it while drinking.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/meat-sauce-and-spagh...
it is a labor of love and it gives me an excuse to drink wine all day.
Wow, that does look like an all day event. That's kind of what i was talking about. I can make a sauce from scratch, but you either have to plan ahead, cause you need all the ingredients, or it takes at least, a couple hours. In 20 years i have probably personally bought 5 jars of tomato sauce. I worked in Italian restaurants or pizza joints in my teens and 20's. I had a conversation about Ragu and Prego at work, and i just made that ewww face, and my co-workers just love that stuff. From their perspective, it's like buying barbeque sauce, and doctoring it up a bit.
Now for my recent jar test:
Stancato's Meat sauce: Surprisingly tasty. Kind of like that Mids sauce, but it may be better. Not as thick.
Del Grosso: Aptly named. Very acidic and tangy. It was $1.50 for a jar, and tasted like it.
Mixing the two together with 3:1 Stanc's:Del Grosso was ok.
Rosenda, i can't wait to try that chilaquiles recipe.
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Permalink Reply by the outsider on
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Personally, I like Classico but nothing beats making yout own sauce....speaking, I'm in the mood for fettucine Alfredo; I still have some Classico alfredo sauce left over.
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Permalink Reply by Rosenda on
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Well I can give you a good recipe to make your own on cheap ingredients. I learned this years ago from my former husband, who was an excellently trained chef.
2 extra large can (or 4 regular size) of whole canned tomatoes (you can also use crushed), any brand at all, including the generic no name kind
1 onion, chopped small
Either 4 or more cloves of whole garlic or 1 or 2 tablespoons already chopped garlic in a jar
1 bunch of fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried garlic.
2-4 tablespoons butter or oil (olive oil, any other vegetable oil)
Optional: if you have it, juice of a whole fresh lemon or fresh lime.
In a saucepan or frying pan big enough to fit about 4-6 cups liquid, over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until the onion is soft.
Pour in all the tomatoes, and if they are big whole tomatoes, crush them in your hands first. When it starts bubbling, add all the basil (fresh or dried: if it's dried, crush it up between the palms of your hands first then throw it in the pan) and stir.
Turn the heat on low, and cook for about 20-30 minutes. After this, if you had fresh lemon or lime juice, stir it in.
Use this with your cooked pasta and throw in any other cooked vegetables or meat you like with your pasta.
Add some salt & pepper to your own taste. This is a good recipe to start with.
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