Why can't I get my pasta sauce right?

[ImQuiteTakenAbackByThat]

I worked in an Italian cafe as a student and the nonna taught me how to make tomato sauce (she called it sugo).

I got out of the way of making it and I can't get it right!

The process is definitely fry garlic in olive oil, add tinned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes, bring to boil, then simmer with the lid on until thick.

WHY is not working? It used to make a really thick, yummy sauce and this is too runny and not rich enough.

You need to add salt, pepper, a tiny bit of sugar. And a knob of butter is amazing too. Mixed herbs if you need to.

Are you using the same ingredients you did before

?

If the garlic is fresh it shouldn't go in first because it burns and goes bitter. Try to use a soffritto - diced carrots, onions and celery. Put that into the oil first, before the tomatoes add the garlic. Add the garlic just before the tomatoes.

Use plum tomatoes not chopped as the quality is always better. I would guess that it's the quality of the tinned tomatoes. Check the label to make sure it's just tomatoes, water and citric acid.

Yes, although I'm wondering if my quantities are off with fresh tomatoes and tinned.

Definitely no butter or sugar (yes to salt and pepper).

If you use good quality tomatoes you don't need sugar. URGH!

Leave the lid off so it reduces, add a generous amount of red wine and cook for at least 2 hrs.

I promise there were no onions, no carrots and no red wine and garlic definitely went in first!

I'm wondering if it is length of cooking time, there would always be a pot of it on in the shop.

I find that tomato-based sauces cook better in non-metallic pots.

Just garlic is fine. Agree plum tomatoes are best - would chop them up / mash with a fork too. Then reduce for some time. Fresh basil at the very end when the heat is off is fairly typical. I wouldn't combine fresh and tinned tomatoes though. I would say it's one or the other based on the type of sauce - tinned for typical 'sugo' - fresco for lighter dishes or as a base for seafood, tuna etc.

Red wine makes everything better though

You need to cook it down longer that’s all

@Impicciona not always easy here in us supermarkets to get the best quality so....sometimes add a “tiny” bit of sugar. It’s just a bit of advice...no need for URGH!!

I add a tiny bit of bicarb to fizz off acid from cheap tinned tomatoes

You don't need sugar no matter how low quality the tomatoes. You just need to let them simmer for longer I promise!

You probably need to leave the lid off and let it bubble away for longer. That's how I make mine, sometimes only with fresh tomatoes and a bit of tomato puree.

I've finally admitted to myself that you can't skimp on quality of tinned plum tomatoes. (Whilst you can afford it). The nicer ones really are nicer! I've been eating slightly rubbish sauces to save 20p for many years after I needed to!

Sorry but I think context is key! The sauce made by an Italian nonna that you ate as a carefree student is always going to taste better!

I could make a decent one -under nonna's very close supervision--

I also learned how to swear tremendously in Italian- another lost skill

I think I'm going to try simmering longer next. It's like that episode in Friends where Joey can't stop making pasta sauce here.

I can lend you my 8 year old to refresh your knowledge of Italian swear words!

Sugo should be cooked around a piece of pork for extra flavour and have loads of herbs. So my Italian relations tell me

You need to leave the pot uncovered for a bit. Once you cover it, all the water condensed off the lid back into the pot, so the sauce stays too liquid instead of becoming rich and concentrated.

I think the swearing is coming back (maneggia? minkia?) but sadly not the recipe- definitely no pork and that would have kick-started a lecture on how poor they were and they could not afford meat

Add some of the pasta water towards the end of the pasta cooking time - the starch thickens and 'glossifies' the sauce!

If I'm making a relatively small amount of sauce (2 tins of tomatoes worth) I reduce it down in a frying pan to increase surface area and speed up the process. I always use a stick blender/food processor or push the sauce through a sieve to get a consistent texture. That helps remove wateryness too. I add fresh basil right before blending too.