On tomato sauce; a review of Breaking Bread: Sauces

Gastronomical

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Monday January 16, 2012 · 1:19 PM PST

2012/01/16 · 13:19

I'm a lurker, and a foodie. I've considered writing before to share my take on the best of food... But few things in life are are as obnoxious as foodie proselytizing.

When I opened the diary today, Breaking Bread: Sauces, I thought to myself "Oh! Cool topic"; sauces are the foundation of most cuisine. Some sauce styles are more traditionally complex, such as Mexico's Mole and Pipianes styles, few other sauces reach those peaks of labor.

The basic sauce mentioned in the diary was a tomato sauce. Both one of the classic Escoffier "Mother Sauces" and an almost stereotypically Italian sauce, it is most frequently simple; indeed, one of the hallmarks of the Italian cuisine is simplicity, reduction and clear presentation of flavors.

As I read the recipe I felt a little like Seth Meyers doing Weekend Update. "Really?! Celery, Red wine and soy sauce in a foundation tomato sauce? Really?"

I'm not trying to be mean spirited or uncharitable; hate the recipe not the food writer. There are some fundamentals of taste and texture that can help a chef or cook understand and parse a recipe. I'm just offering some thoughts on some of the choices made, and how and why I would choose differently.

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