Bitter tomatoes in pasta sauce. Help please!

[EyeballsintheSky]

I'm a crap cook but I'm on a mission to at least learn the basics so that I don't poison dd when I wean her soon.

I made a basic tomato sauce today, having watched my Italian boss make it years ago and I'm sure I did exactly what she used to.

DH thought it was nice but I thought it was a bit bitter. Any ideas how I can make it a bit sweeter without adding sugar as I want to be able to give it to dd.

Also, I know that I have to knock out the (tiny) bit of salt when making it for her but what's the thinking on babies and garlic? (sorry, entirely wrong topic, I know!).

Thanks

Tell us how you made it. Can't see why it would be bitter.

A little sugar and a splosh of balsamic vineager

I ofetn add a little brown sugar to my italian tomato sauces.

My dd was basically weaned on garlic. I always put it in risottos, pasta dishes and casseroles for her. She loves it (and co-incidently is hardly ever ill).

I used passata, tomato puree, onions, garlic, salt, a little olive oil and some mixed herbs. I wondered if there was a tomato overload but my friends definitely used both.

I was going to say Suagr.... but it seems I've been beaten to it. DD will be fine, you're not adding tonnes, jsut a small amount, taste as you go!!

Many recipes for tomato sauce use sugar - you won't have to use that much so by the time your DD has it there will hardly be any.

Did the garlic burn at all? That would taste quite bitter.

agree - a bit of sugar in a pasta sauce is fine for your LO. Garlic also fine.

Message withdrawn

You lot are great, thank you!

I seem to have a 'no sugar, no salt' mantra going round in my head so it's reassuring to know really what can be used in cooking. A little sugar but no salt.

The garlic didn't burn at all, I was a bit paranoid about ending up with fried onions so I probably didn't cook them and the garlic for quite long enough. Still, all a learning curve and we had a nice dinner

Good news about the garlic (and pesto) as I love both Ooh, exciting this!

I think it's better with tinned plum tomatoes than passata or chopped tomatoes, which aren't usually plum tomatoes and can be a bit bitter depending on the brand. Though obviously you then need to blend it.

Why can't you add a pinch of sugar? I always put a half-teaspoon of sugar in my sauce (based on one onion and two tins of tomatoes).

I shall try all of the above and see which one goes down the best in the critical eyes of DH!

Then it's on to white sauce. It's my first little ambition to make a lasagne without unscrewing any jars...

Splash of red wine usully does the trick to give a richer, rounded, flavour. Make sure you boil off all the alchol first though...

EyeballsintheSky if you overcook the garlic it can make the pasta sauce bitter. Dh has done this he purees garlic and cooks it on a high heat so it goes dark brown almost burnt iykwim. I slice it or use garlic infused olive oil for speed. I agree balsamic vinegar sweetens it as well

Sorry just realised Habbibu has already mentioned it but glad she has as dh disagrees with me

Apparently it's the seeds that make tomato sauce bitter.. I heard some old dear on Spanish TV going on about how people nowadays ruin tomato sauces by not bothering to remove the seeds.

Anyway, if you can't be arsed with that, add sugar.

usually put finely chopped carrots in mine, that gives sweetness. I put sugar in as well but I reckon you could get away without it.