Best Basic Red Sauce Recipes

BASIC RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
• Add pureed tomatoes, basil, oregano, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick, 25 to 30 minutes.

BASIC RED SAUCE (SALSA DE CHILE ROJO)

Steps:

• Soak chiles in warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain; strain and reserve liquid. Remove stems and seeds and membranes from the chiles. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in a 2-qt. saucepan until onion is tender. Add chiles and 2 cups of the reserved liquid , the tomato sauce, oregano, cumin and salt. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Cool.
• Transfer to blender container; cover and blend on low speed until smooth. Strain. Refrigerate sauce no longer than 10 days.
• Note: I strain mine in a mesh strainer or colander. It takes a few minutes, but keep thinking of how great this is going to taste!

CHILE COLORADO (BASIC RED CHILE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat shortening in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
• Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute.
• Gradually add the water and stir, making sure that no lumps form.
• Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.***.
• * Red Chile recipe above. Varied amounts and variety of chile will determine the degree of hotness.
• ** For a more mild flavor, tomato juice may be substituted.
• *** Last red chile can be very bitter if it doesn't simmer long enough. Please let it simmer for AT LEAST 10 minutes As always, the longer it simmers the hotter it will be -- but you don't want bitter red chile. TRUST ME.
• NOTE: One pound of cooked beef or pork, ground, cubed, or shredded,may be added.
• Also can be served over pork chops or used as a gravy for mashed potatoes.

TONY CHACHERE'S BASIC RED SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Melt margarine in heavy saucepan. Add tomato sauce and sugar and cook 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients plus water. Also add 2 cups of Tony Chachere's Basic Vegetable Mixture. Simmer for 2 hours over low heat until thick. Add more water if needed and season to taste.
• 2. For Italian dishes, add herbs and cheese.
• 3. For fish dishes, add mushrooms, shrimp, or crab meat.

CHILE COLORADO (BASIC RED CHILE SAUCE)

Steps:

• 1. Heat shortening in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. 2. Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute. 3. Gradually add the water and stir, making sure that no lumps form. 4. Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.

CHILE COLORADO (BASIC RED CHILE SAUCE) 2 VERSIONS

Steps:

• 1. Like making a blonde roux heat shortening in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. 2. Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute being careful to not scorch...it scorches easily 3. Gradually add the water and whisk, making sure that no lumps form. 4. Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes. Varied amounts and variety of chile will determine the degree of hotness. I like it mild for those folk who want the flavor but not the heat The Chili Caribe is for them . Needless to say all this prep makes for a very aromatic kitchen and house OH yeah!

BASIC RED SAUCE: SMALL BATCH

Steps:

• 1. Mix tomato paste and hot water in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in parsley, onion, garlic, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, and thyme. 2. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes; mix well. Do not cook. 3. Measure sauce into appropriate portions for immediate use. Divide remaining sauce evenly among 1-quart freezer bags for later use. 4. Seal and label each bag with the amount of sauce inside. Freeze. 5. To enjoy: Completely thaw one bag in the refrigerator. 6. Use in a recipe calling for tomato sauce, or simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 20 minutes and pour over your favorite pasta. 7. To use in a meat sauce, brown and drain 1 pound lean ground beef for every 8 cups of sauce; add cooked beef to sauce and gently reheat.

BASIC RED BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine tomato paste, corn syrup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.
• Add Cayenne pepper to taste and additional salt if desired. Use sauce uncooked or simmer briefly, about 10 minutes, to mellow flavors before using.

BASIC RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Sauté onions in olive oil over low heat, covered, for 10-12 minutes. Add garlic and basil, re-cover, for another 5 minutes or so. Uncover and add wine. Reduce by about half. Add tomatoes and S & P and simmer for 15 minutes. You can reduce the sauce further and intensify the flavor. We like to add the brandy and lemon juice about 3-4 minutes before finishing. If you want to turn this sauce into Neapolitan Sauce, add 10-12 sliced ripe olives, and 1 1/2 T capers just before finishing. Fresh Italian Parsley can be added at the end if you like it. For a nice twist, add 3-5 crushed and chopped anchovies. You talk about kicking something up a notch! Especially good in fish stew (Cioppino). Yum!!! Write it down and star it, pupils: This tangy tomato sauce can be used virtually anytime when you would like a juiced-up alternative to a can of tomatoes called for in a recipe. It's worth the effort! Note: You can double this easily, but adding 3-5 more cloves of garlic is not necessary unless you are a garlic hound like us. (If you can believe it, we've actually heard there are some people who do not like garlic! Hard to believe, but I guess it's true. Pity for them!) Obviously, these people are "not" Italian, even at heart! So, make a large batch of sauce and use what you need for the recipe you are preparing, then freeze the rest in batches for future recipes. You can thaw it out in the microwave or in warm water in no time. Restaurant chefs do it all the time, DOD can vouch for that. Why not you?