r/Cooking • u/LokiBonk • 1d ago
Heirloom tomato sauce?
I was gifted a TON of gorgeous heirlooms and craving a bolognese sauce.
Looking for recipes and tips it’s almost as if my plans are taboo.
So what should I add or change to make this delicious?
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u/ASAP_i 1d ago
There is a reason you are having some difficulty. Generally, sauces (and salsa for that matter) want what is called a "paste" tomato which tends to have less of that jelly like seed part (whatever it is called) and more flesh, think along the lines of a san marzano or roma. Heirloom varieties tend to be more like a "slicer" and have more seeds/"jelly", which would require more processing to get them to a point that would be suitable for sauces (when was the last time you saw a bunch of seeds in a tomato sauce?). There are some general flavor differences regarding sweetness and/or acidity as well, which you will have to account for.
That being said, nothing is stopping you from cooking them down and making a sauce. We can't taste what you have (and there can be a wide range of flavor profiles with heirlooms), so specific instructions will be difficult to find/get. I would prepare to end up with a higher acidity sauce that might be overly sweet (again, depending on your varieties). Skin thickness might be a factor (again, depends on varieties) along with how much work deseeding will be (if you even care about that). You might even consider blending it first, like a passata.
Your best bet, if you continue with this, is to be prepared to google questions like "how do I reduce the sweetness/acid in my tomato sauce?" I would try to avoid making major additions to correct flavor until nearly done, while taking care about texture more towards the beginning.
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u/ellasaurusrex 1d ago
Hard to tell you what to add or change without knowing what recipe you're looking at.
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u/LokiBonk 1d ago
Italian sausage, onions, garlic, shallots, fresh basil, red wine, red wine vinegar, possibly bay leaves, some recipes recommend heavy cream, and butter.
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u/Master-Leopard-2642 1d ago
I just canned a very similar recipe last night but I added lemon juice and plan to add cream, butter and maybe Parmesan once we use it. It turned out great
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u/ttrockwood 1d ago
Oh that will overwhelm your heirlooms, just make a different sauce with the heirloom tomatoes
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u/vita77 1d ago
That sounds good but it’s not classic bolognese. Make Marcella Hazan’s - it’s the best.
Agree with all the comments that it’s a waste of heirlooms as they’re best in raw preparations like caprese and panzanella as well as good Southern style tomato sandwiches. Give the extras to people you love.
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u/Far-Substance-5908 1d ago
I reckon most people will say that heirlooms are best eaten fresh and raw, because they're so gorgeous.
If I were to make them into a Bolognese, I think I would remove the seeds (along with the most watery parts of the tomato) and then blanch them to peel the skin off. Then proceed the same way as with any other fresh tomato!
I would also guess that it might take a bit longer to cook them down. Supplying with some tomatoe puree might be a good idea too.
I think you should definitely try it, maybe you'll discover a new amazing way to make Bolognese :)
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u/ChanceCharacter 1d ago
Bolognese isn't a tomato-based sauce so... The recipe I use calls for a small amount of tomato paste and that's it. I'd make pizza with a bunch of good tomatoes. Tomato in the blender with some salt. Top a pizza with that. Don't watse them on a long-cooking sauce. Eat them as close to raw as possible. Salsa, etc...
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Medium-Complaint-677 1d ago
I mean they're correct. Bolognese is a meat sauce that has some tomato in it. It isn't a tomato sauce.
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u/ChanceCharacter 1d ago
I don't consider adding a spoonful of tomato paste to 2 or 3 quarts of sauce to be "tomato-based." You may disagree. I think OP is confused or maybe doesn't know what Bolognese actually is. I've never seen a Bolognese recipe call for "Tons of fresh heirloom tomatoes." It's a meat sauce with a hint of tomato, not a tomato sauce.
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u/bigelcid 1d ago
You guys are just discussing whether bolognese ragu is a meat-first instead of a tomato-first sauce, but it's an overcorrection to minimize the importance of the tomato element to "a spoonful of tomato paste".
I don't even use any. Paste isn't the default option. If anything, it's something extra people use to make it more tomatoey. I don't even think the original recipe by the academy (not that I take it seriously) called for any; just passata.
Don't know about you guys, but I can tell a high quality passata from a low quality one a lot better than I can compare tomato pastes. When you cook tomatoes down to death, you're bound to lose a lot of aromatic compounds.
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u/EaringaidBandit 1d ago
Quit bragging! I’m so sad that I wasn’t able to plant tomatoes this year. Recommendation - get a food mill to pulp the tomatoes and separate the seeds.
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u/Existing_Ganache_858 1d ago
I'd suggest making more of a fresh tomato pasta than a bolognese, which is generally made with paste tomatoes that have more flesh and less pulp than other varieties. Heirlooms are generally more watery in comparison, and much more expensive for sure.
Chop the tomatoes, crush a garlic clove or two, mix with salt, olive oil, and a little balsamic if you want. Let sit awhile to get juicy, boil pasta, mix together well, add cheese and enjoy!
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u/Pyesmybaby 1d ago
Check out The Former Chefs blog she posts tons of great recipes and I know the fresh tomatoe soup and sauce are great.
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u/SopaDeKaiba 1d ago
Seems like a waste of amazing tomatoes to me. Better to use cheaper tomatoes for tomato sauces.
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u/LokiBonk 1d ago
I have enough to eat 3 a day plain, 2 a day on sandwiches, and 4 a day with salt, nice mayo and fresh cracked pepper for the next week and still have enough to make a few gallons of sauce.
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u/SopaDeKaiba 1d ago
Ah. I'm jealous.
In that case, I'd make a standard classic sauce tomat with peeled and seeded tomatoes. And then I'd use that in whatever Bolognese recipe is preferred, and have any extra on hand for other things that use tomato sauce
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u/EyeStache 1d ago
What do you mean "my plans are taboo"?
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u/LokiBonk 1d ago
It’s hard to find any recipes, everything just says it’s the wrong kind of tomato to use. Like, I if I mention it to my Italian friends they might lose respect for me.
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u/EyeStache 1d ago
It's absolutely not difficult to find a recipe for a Bolognese sauce. Just search "bolognese recipe" and you'll get hundreds, including the official one from the Accademia Italiana della cucina, which uses 200g of strained tomatoes (as in you chop them finely and pass them through a strainer to remove the skin and seeds.)
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u/Medium-Complaint-677 1d ago
I would do a tomato tarte instead of a tomato sauce. You'll lose a lot of what makes a perfect heirloom tomato delicious by cooking it down. Get some puff pastry, season some ricotta with salt and pepper and lemon zest and basil, spread it on the puff, then top that with you sliced tomato and salt. Bake it until puffed a lightly brown and the tomatoes have given up some moisture. Drizzle with really good olive oil before eating.
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u/Dracoson 1d ago
Depends on the flavor. For most heirlooms, they lean heavily into sweet, savory, or acidic rather than being naturally balanced, so you typically want to level that out with a different variety. Beyond that, I would not call it taboo to use heirlooms for sauce. It is sacrilege to throw one or two into a sauce, but when you have a boatload, you do something that goes through them.
If you are going to make a sauce with them, I highly recommend roasting the tomatoes first. Roasting concentrates the flavors and brings out their natural sweetness, while also helping to cook off a lot of the moisture before they ever hit the pot. Heirlooms have a much higher water content than standard paste tomatoes, so be prepared to spend significantly longer reducing the sauce down to get that rich bolognese texture.
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u/Crossovertriplet 1d ago
Put them in a bag and go to a pawn shop and tell them you want to sell some heirlooms and then whip them out
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u/bldrd3 1d ago
One sauce I've made that you can get halfway to, pause for a day or so, and continue when you're ready, uses peeled and seeded tomatoes to serve as the sauce for marinated steaks (like cube round, so very cheap cuts). The marinade is garlic, black pepper, and lime, and the sauce is tomato, with a whole jalapeño pepper and cilantro sprigs, plus the marinade. Ping back for the recipe.
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u/LadybuggingLB 1d ago
Why would you waste heirlooms like that? Might as well use them to make ketchup.
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u/Emotional_Gas3485 1d ago
They have lots of water, so will probably take at least 5 or 6 pounds of tomatoes to make a small batch. Just need tomatoes, garlic and salt . I roast the tomatoes, then purée skins and all in vitamix . Transfer to pot, simmer to thicken , add spices……
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u/femsci-nerd 1d ago
carrots always make bolognese taste great! My bolognese recipe calls for carrots and onions to be sauted first, then add the sausage.
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u/4cupsofcoffee 1d ago
I roast mine with garlic and onions and peppers then push them through a food mill to remove seeds and skins.
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u/blkhatwhtdog 1d ago
An actual sun ripen heirloom tomato is perfect, just blender for a chunky to smooth sauce and pour over hot pasta.
Another upgrade to a traditional Sunday gravy would be to blanch the fruits for 60 seconds in boiling water to remove the skins...better yet food mill to separate seeds and skins...then simmer for hours to reduce
Of course adding your aromatic veggies and spices
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u/baldnesswhatIgot 1d ago
On thing to keep in mind is paste tomatoes like Roma or SanMarzano produce that sauce. I'm not sure what heirlooms you have, but they may not be best used for sauce. I would google them first to see if they will make a good sauce.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 1d ago
Bolognese isn’t a tomato sauce, and I think heirlooms would be wasted in a tomato sauce
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u/bigelcid 1d ago
Why would they be wasted? Nice tomatoes, nice sauce, no?
And for sure, all the other ingredients in a ragu are wasted if the tomatoes are subpar.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 1d ago
This may be purely subjective opinion, but most heirloom tomatoes are valued for their delicate flavor, which is completely wasted in a long cooked preparation. Great for a pomodoro, but wasted in a marinara. For a long cooked sauce you want something low moisture and hardy. Off topic, but what’s with the pretentious “no?” I keep seeing? Are ya’ll trying to sound like a Bond villain for some weird reason? Subjective again, but it immediately makes me incapable of taking the person serious. It’s ridiculous
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u/2dogs1sword0patience 1d ago
They are not going to make a good sauce but you can still make a good dish. Make a standard Bolognese, traditionally not a very tomato heavy sauce anyway. Then dice your heirlooms large bite size. Cook off a noodle you can stab like rigatoni or farfalle, and toss the tomatoes in at the last minute. Basically no time on the heat other than to get to temp. It won't be traditional bolo but it will be delicious
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u/funnerfu79 1d ago
I have tons of heirlooms right now, I’ve been making tomato butter sauce with lemon pasta. Show stopper according to my clients.
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u/lejardin8Hill 1d ago
I have a big garden. I make tomato sauces from any and all kinds of tomatoes. Sometimes I just put whatever is ripe in a pan with some garlic and olive oil and cook until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Throw in your herbs of choice at the end. If you want a smoother texture you can run an immersion blender through the sauce or put the sauce through a food mill. Tonight I made pasta alla Norma with a combo of plum, snacking and cherry tomatoes because those were what I had in the kitchen. Have fun while tomato season lasts.
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u/Tasty_Impress3016 1d ago
I would say the best use for heirlooms would not be a bolognese but a very fresh raw sauce. Barely cooked just harshly threatened. As u/SopaDeKaiba puts it succinctly. For bolognese use canned or romas. Save your heirlooms for more starring roles.
Ideas - caprese salad of course. It's cousin panzanella or even just a killer BLT. I had some killer tomatoes last week and just sliced a couple up, hit them with a hint of salt and just ate them as a midnight snack.