Henri Alén’s legendary tomato sauce works with many dishes.
The peel of the orange gives the tomato sauce a wonderful taste. Red wine is also added to the sauce. Opened this time was the Tuscan diamond Chianti Classico Querciabella. Eeva Paljakka
Chef Henri Alén decided to make the tomato sauce as simple and “damn” good as possible.
Alén decided that the sauce should have as few ingredients as possible and would be so easy to share on Twitter.
This happened in 2014. After that, a few others made that tomato sauce.
– I made a recipe, I shared it and many people used it, because that was when the tomato crushes ran out of shops. New trucks had to be brought to Finland from Italy, Alén recalls the phenomenon he created seven years ago.
Good shade of orange
Alén’s hit sauce was also put to the test in Pippuri’s home kitchen.
It really does live up to its promise: very delicious, easy to make, and not even dizzying in price.
The orange peel placed in the sauce gives it a taste of its own. That’s great. Alén suggests that thanks to the orange, ricotta and feta cheese, for example, go well with the sauce. Or it can frost the fish fillet.
Pieces of orange peel can be sliced with a cheese planer, for example. It’s best to do it on top of the sauce pot, so the orange essential oils end up in the sauce.
Don’t rush
The only thing the sauce demands a lot is time. The sauce should be given to the mashes slowly under the lid and sometimes it is good to stir it.
– Tomato sauce needs a long stew. The longer and quieter the stew, the sweeter the sauce becomes. Only pizza sauces are an exception, but they too are finally put in a hot oven.
A good crushed tomato is identified by the fact that there are no strains among it. When the tomato is picked when ripe, the stem drops off. The same goes for seeds.
– When the crumb is even and the clear liquid does not separate from the tomato, the tomatoes have been ripe when picked. And there are no 18 pounds of seeds among them, Alén lists.
A large amount at once
If you do not want to put red wine in the sauce, you can replace it with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. This is because acid must not be forgotten.
The final finish is done with olive oil.
– The better the olive oil, the more important it is not heated. Olive oil brings fullness and texture.
There’s one can of tomato crumb in this guide, but Alén usually does it four times at home. The sauce keeps it cold for five days, so it can be used to make a variety of dishes throughout the week.
The long-stewed tomato sauce is a bullseye with spaghetti. Eeva Paljakka
Tomato sauce à la Henri Alén
1 can of crushed tomatoes (Alén recommends Mutt)
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
0.6 dl of olive oil
2 dl of water
½ teaspoon of sugar
½ dl red wine
orange peel
salt and black pepper
1. Sauté chopped onion and garlic in oil for a long time. At least 10 minutes on low heat in oil. You build sweetness.
2. Add the sugar and half of the tomato paste. Let simmer for 10 minutes to sweeten the sauce. Then add the rest of the crushed water and 2 deciliters of water. Simmer, stirring.
3. Keep on bubbling heat, continue to simmer for 15 minutes, and add red wine. That is, bring the acidity to the sauce. Stir all the time.
4. When the sauce is thick, add salt and black pepper from the mill. If you hifi, 2 will burn the orange peel. Season boldly.
5. Take the sauce aside, mix in 0.5 dl of the best virgin olive oil you can get. Don’t cook anymore.
For example, mix the sauce with the cooked spaghetti as soon as the pasta is drained. Then immediately. Not on, but confused.
The story was first published in the spring of 2021.