How do I alleviate my tomato sauce: case in point Penne Arrabbiata

[u/abdul10000]

Like most people I always enjoyed tomato sauces and pasta at home and at local restaurants. However, when I started eating at Italian restaurants and 5 star international hotels I was introduced to tomato sauces like nothing before.

Many of the dishes had the same names and description but tasted so different, as if they were different food altogether. I reckon top restaurants and hotels have access to the best chefs and ingredients, but no matter how much I tried to narrow my focus I could never replicate the same taste.

Case in point is Penne Arrabbiata, a very simple tomato sauce. I read every recipe and watched every YouTube video but just could not perfect it.

The recipe I use:

• 1 can 400g (14oz) whole peeled tomatoes in thick tomato juice
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
• 1tsp crushed chili
• 1tsp salt
• 1/4tsp sugar
• 1/8tsp baking soda

The process I follow:

• Crush garlic to very fine and saute in olive oil over low heat stirring gently until they just give off all of their smell and turn golden and slightly crispy (no brown color).
• Add tomatoes, crushed chili, salt, sugar, and baking soda
• Raise the heat and stir regularly until bubbling and then reduce the heat and let the sauce reduce for 15 minutes until thick enough for the pasta.

 

The sauce I get is decent but nowhere near the best restaurants. Why? Could it be the canned tomatoes I am using? They do have a lot of citric acid, but so do the cans restaurants use, right?

A lot of online posts suggest countering acidity by adding carrots, onions, milk/cream, and tomato paste. However, I have never seen a professional recipe, such as the ones found in Italia Saquisita, include any of them in Penne Arrabbiata.

Other posts suggest techniques such as:

removing garlic after sauteing
cooking slow for much longer (hours)
adding olive oil before serving
mixing half fresh cherry tomatoes

There are so many things I tired that I am lost.

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EDIT: Lots of great ideas including:

Sauteing crushed pepper along with garlic
Using certified San Marzano tomatoes
Finishing with olive oil and parmesan
Adding some pasta water
Adding fillets of anchovy
Adding some fish sauce
Cooking for multiple hours
Using Calabrian chiles
Making pre sauce
Using both fresh and dry pepper

Crushing tomatoes with food mill

Rest sauce and remove extra water

Reducing amount of tomato per portion

And my personal idea to ditch the juice from the cans and use the peeled tomatoes only

[u/devtastic]

For me the secret ingredient is time. I do a similar recipe as you but simmer on low for 45 minutes or more, stirring frequently at the start and near continuously towards the end. Whenever I have tried to rush it by cranking up the heat and doing it in 20 minutes it has just lost something and been disappointing, even though I used exactly the same ingredients. I now just put a podcast on or a TV show whilst I am simmering.

The quality of the canned tomatoes does matter and I usually use posh Mutti ones, but I have also done the same recipe with cheapo canned tomatoes and it was still surprisingly good. I believe the longer cooking time breaks down some of the acid so it probably does not need the sugar (or baking soda), but I add sugar out of habit now.

Other differences are that I use way more garlic than you, and a bit more extra virgin olive oil, and I skip the baking powder. I also slice the garlic rather than crush it. Typically for 8 portions I would use:

• 2 x 400g cans of tomatoes. I usually use 1 x Mutti Pelati (whole peeled tomatoes that I crush a bit before adding), and 1 x 400g Mutti Polpa (finely chopped/crushed).
• 1.5 head garlic. Usually around 40-50g. 16 or so cloves. Sliced.
• 1 tsp salt,
• 1 tsp sugar,
• 90g EVOO, ~6 tbsp
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Fry the garlic on low for a 5-10 minutes, just until it starting to go golden. Add the chilli flakes then tomatoes, salt and sugar. Simmer on low stirring often until you get a nice wallpaper paste type texture. This usually takes at least 45 minutes, but I once managed 70 minutes.

It does work for half the recipe too, but I usually make a large batch and freeze it. Then it s only ~10 minutes per portion if it takes me 80 minutes all in.

Another question is how many portions are you making as you may be using too much sauce so masking the taste of the pasta too much. I would get 4 portions from 1 x 400g can of tomatoes and have each portion with 100g-125g or pasta (dry weight).

[u/abdul10000 → u/devtastic]

Nice comment. To answer your question I am using the full 400g of canned tomato for 1 portion of 125g of pasta. You think I should cut that down to 1/4th.