Basic Standard Pizza and spaghetti sauce – recipe by Todd English

Grub Street New York compiled a list of the TOP 20 chef empires. These chefs were scored based on how many restaurants they owned, TV shows, cookbooks, gadgets, etc…they are involved in. I’ve had so much fun visiting these sites and learning about chefs I haven’t heard of, or don’t know much about.

# 10 of the list was Todd English. He’s a Boston based chef who owns 12 restaurants, has 3 cookbooks and a TV show.

One of the great things about checking out these chefs is that they usually have a recipe link! On Bobby Flay’s site he had a recipe for mac and cheese that used whole milk, butter and I’m not joking 7 cups of cheese! So, a lot of these recipes, I wouldn’t be able to make at home and still be slim-shoppin!

Todd English’s site though had a recipe for his basic pizza sauce as well as their signature pasta sauce. It sounds amazing. You know my pasta sauce is different every time I make it. Sometimes I use fresh tomatoes, sometimes canned, I sneak a lot of veggies into it, but this sounds like such a classic sauce that would please most people!

This next part comes from Todd English’s website and is in his words.

This is our standard pizza and spaghetti sauce.

Let’s talk about tomato sauce: I don’t know why it is so bad so often. I have dreadful memories of the school cafeteria tomato sauce loaded with green peppers, sugar, and tomato paste. What would make somebody think of putting a sauce like this together? No. No. No. Simple and fresh is best. Buy the best possible ingredients (keeping in mind that fresh tomatoes are not always as good as canned because the tomatoes have to be canned when they’re perfectly ripe). Don’t add too many flavors. Don’t overdo it.

In Italy, I’ve even seen some pizza tomato sauces where they simply crush the tomatoes in their hands, pour olive oil over the top, add a little chopped garlic, salt, and pepper, and then tear some fresh basil over it and place it on a pizza to cook.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts:Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
1 cup Chicken Broth or water
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

• Place a large saucepan over medium heat and, when it is hot, add the oil. Add the garlic and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook until reduced by about a third, about 5 minutes.

• Add the oregano, tomatoes, and Chicken Broth and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to low and cook until the mixture starts to come together as a sauce, about 45 minutes. Add the basil, salt, and pepper.

• Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

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I’m pretty sure you would be able to freeze this as well.

One thing I liked about this recipe and which I have never added to my sauce is chicken broth! Also, I almost never had red wine in the house, so I should pick up a bottle to add to my next sauce.

Do you make your own sauce, or buy it from a jar??

For YEARS I bought sauce from a jar, and I could kick myself now, because making it yourself takes no time and is so much cheaper!