I was amazed to learn of a French Tomato sauce (Sauce Tomat) as a young, CIA students many years ago. It's very different than the Italian sauce my mother made each week for Sunday dinner.
I enjoy purchasing cases of inexpensive, local tomatoes in late summer called 'seconds'. These tomatoes are generally ripe, bruised tomatoes which I wash, chop and freeze to invite a taste of summer in my kitchen during the cold, winter months.
Tomato Sauce
I'm a fan of proper culinary technique. I believe stocks are the backbone of a kitchen and the Mother Sauces are important for braises, soups, stews and small sauces.
In classical French cuisine, the mother sauces form the foundation of countless preparations, and tomato sauce—rich, aromatic, and deeply satisfying—is one of the most versatile.
Long before contemporary interpretations, Escoffier’s version emphasized gently sweating aromatics (carrots and onions) in pork fat, adding roux and then tomatoes and stock to build depth of flavor.
This sauce is delicious but generally used as an ingredient for other sauces, soups and dishes. It showcases how classical methods continue to shape modern kitchens. It’s a staple every chef should master—straightforward, adaptable, and consistently delicious.
Chefs in the past would prepare large batches of Sauce Tomat and then conveniently use these sauces for small sauces, soups, braises etc...
Sauce Tomat
Prep Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 90 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
3 oz. Olive oil
1/4 Cup Carrots, small dice
1/4 Cup Celery, small dice
1/2 Cup Onions, small dice
1 clove Garlic, peeled , optional
2 sprigs. sachet d'epices leaf
2 pints San Marzano tomatoes, fresh/canned
4 Tbsp. Tomato paste
1 Cup Homemade veal or beef stock
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
t.t. Black pepper
Water
How to Prepare Tomato Sauce
Step 1
Heat the olive oil or render the pork fat in a heavy pot, add the vegetables and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until tender, about 2 minutes; do not caramelize.
Step 2
Heat fat and flour (equal parts) in a separate pot, whisking to develop a smooth, light colored (blond) roux. As you become more comfortable cooking with roux, you can simply add the extra fat to the vegetables, then add the uncooked flour to the vegetables (with fat) and build the roux into the vegetables.
This is helpful to eliminate using a second pot, not necessarily better.
Add the sachet d'epices of bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and parsley.
Step 3
Add one can of tomatoes & break up with a spoon while cooking in the oil. You can certainly use chopped tomatoes or put the tomatoes in a blender before adding to the oil.
If you use fresh tomatoes, you may choose to blanch the tomatoes in hot water & peel the skin off; cut in half & deseed.
Add the tomato paste, stock, salt & pepper.
Cook at low temperature for one hour or until the sauce has thickened.
Step 4
It seems like a family tradition to use the empty tomato can to hold your spoon as the sauce cooks...
At home I often place a heavy, grill pan on the burner and put the pot onto the grill pan. This helps to stop scorching or burning the roux.
This sauce is great on macaroni, although generally used as an ingredient for other dishes.
