Saucy September!

Tomato-based Sauce

When we lived in America, we had a family tradition of having a "Pizza and Movie Night" every weekend.  We would buy a cheap pizza or two from the local Pizza restaurant and watch a movie with the kids.  Everyone loves pizza in our home... sometimes more than the movie!  So when we decided to move to Russia, we wanted to find a way to continue that tradition.

A few weeks after we first arrived in Ekaterinburg, we were walking around the КИТ shopping mall.  Like most malls, there was a small food court where several dining options were available.  I was overjoyed to see a sign that said "American Hot Pizza!"  I immediately thought "Yes!  American pizza in Ekaterinburg!  This is great!"  Unfortunately, as I forced down my first piece, I quickly realized that the Russian idea of "American pizza" involved a mayonnaise or ketchup-based sauce, a very light sprinkle of cheese (something other than mozzarella), and a healthy dose of dill seasoning.  My friends, this is NOT American hot pizza!  It wasn't even hot pizza... :-P

Today I will share with you MY recipe for Pizza Sauce.  Although I don't like to brag, I am happy to allow my children to brag for me!  :-)  They say that the pizza I make in Russia is the best they ever had!  You can't argue with kids... especially my kids... because if you do, I'll beat you up.  So just trust them when they say that my pizza is good.  And the backbone of a great tasting pizza is the sauce.  But do you know what's especially awesome about this recipe?  You can also use it for Spaghetti Sauce too!  And once you make the spaghetti sauce, you can use it in other Italian food recipes like Lasagna, Calzones, Manicotti, etc.  It may be a simple recipe, but it opens the doors to many, many more delicious ideas! 

Ingredients (Pizza Sauce):
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium onion - chopped
1 Can tomato paste (380 g)
3 Cups water
2 Tablespoons Parsley
4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Basil

Step 1:  Heat a pot over medium high heat.  Add the oil and chopped onion.  Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. 
*Note: If you prefer, you can also add about 2-3 minced garlic cloves with the onion instead of using garlic powder later.















Step 2: Add the tomato paste and water.  Stir until it is well combined.
















Step 3: Mix the dry spices together (Parsley, Flour, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Oregano). 
*Note: it is important to mix the dry spices together before adding them to the tomato sauce!  If you add them individually, the flour has a difficult time dissolving in the water-based sauce.  It often creates unexpected "flavor bursts" of dry flour in your mouth.  Ick!















Step 4: Gradually add the mixture of spices to the pot of tomato sauce, stirring continuously.  Simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes to allow the seasonings to blend together.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.

This recipe makes enough sauce for approximately three pizzas (2 cups per pizza).  Of course, I like more sauce on my pizza than I have traditionally seen in Russian pizza restaurants.  So you might be able to make four portions using less sauce.  Since the sauce freezes well, I often double the recipe and freeze 5 or 6 portions at a time.  A little extra work when I make the sauce allows me to be lazier in the future!  ;-)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients (Spaghetti Sauce):           
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion - chopped
1 Green Pepper - chopped
(Optional) 2 Carrots (or other vegetables) - chopped
0.5 kg Hamburger
1 Can tomato paste (380 g)
3 Cups water
2 Tablespoons Parsley
4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Basil

As you can see, the spices are identical for the spaghetti sauce.  The only major differences in the two recipes are the additions of chopped vegetables and hamburger.  You can adjust the ingredients according to your tastes.  If you want a healthier sauce, don't add the hamburger and do add more vegetables.  If you want a more manly, filling sauce, add more hamburger or add ground pork (свиной фарш).  Feel free to experiment and make this recipe your own!

Step 1:  Heat a pot over medium high heat.  Add the oil, chopped onion, green pepper, and any other chopped vegetables you wish to add.  Saute until the vegetables are tender. 
*Note: If you prefer, you can also add about 2-3 minced garlic cloves with the onion instead of using garlic powder later.

Step 2:  Add the hamburger and cook thoroughly until it is no longer pink.  Drain the excess fat from the pot.

Step 3: Add the tomato paste and water.  Stir until it is well combined.

Step 4: Mix the dry spices together (Parsley, Flour, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Oregano).  Gradually add the mixture of spices to the pot of tomato/meat sauce.  Stir continuously as you do so.  Simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes to allow the seasonings to blend together.

This recipe makes enough for one family of 6 (two adults and four children) with a little left over.  It is just enough for one entire 500g package of prepared spaghetti noodles.  I like to double the recipe and freeze half the sauce for a later day.  Do you remember why?  That's right!  So I can be lazier in the future!  :-D

I hope you enjoy your new recipes!  Good luck to you this week as you cook like an Italian-American in Ekaterinburg!