tomato sauce

[dozer]

Made with fresh tomatoes and toasted garlic.
Any suggestions?

[hotwine]

Barbera d'Alba.

[Thomas]

Dozer, if the sauce is light and delicate go with northern Italian red, but if it is a big powerful sauce, try a Puglian red (Salice Salentino or Copertino). The contrast between wine and sauce in the latter pairing is often quite exciting.

I do not think one style of wine fits all styles of tomato sauce.

[sedhed]

How about the old standby, chianti?

[Thomas]

I am one on this board who does not think that Chianti blanket-ly pairs well with tomato sauce. I simply am no fan of pairing acid with more acid. I like contrast.

In northern Italy tomato sauces are usually lighter than in the south. And here, Americans emulate southern sauces more than we do northern. Generalization of course.

[Innkeeper]

Although I well remember from H.S. chemistry that a base neutralizes an acid, I find in food and wine there is a different chemistry. It is not whether the sauce is light or heavy, most of the acid in a sauce comes from tomatoes. Therefore, with some obvious exceptions, it is the amount of tomatoes that determine how acidic the sauce will be. I find that if I drink a lower acid wine with tomatoes such as Dolcetto, Salice Salentino, or Primitivo; the acid in the tomatoes bites my tongue when in contact with the wine. If I have a higher acid wine, such as sangiovese or barbera, it doesn't happen, and the tomoatoes and wine marry up well together.

[Thomas]

Which is not what I find.

What constitutes lighter tomato, in my book, is fewer tomatoes, less thickness and more liquid--perhaps less cooking time too. Also, varying degree of oil/wine in the sauce.

But even my thickest sauce has reduced or offset acids because I like it that way.

Not sure about the Dolcetto reference, IK. That wine usually comes in at pretty good acidity. I like it with grilled vegetables, among other things.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 03-09-2004).]

[sedhed]

I'm not trying to complicate matters but If you make your sauce from home grown tomatoes the acidity will vary depending on the type of tomato you grow. And as we discussed before , you can vary the acidity effect by adding a sweet marsala wine or sugar to the mix. I grow the Tuscany or the Juliiet tomatoes. In effect, I guess you can customize the sauce to suit the wine you enjoy best.

[This message has been edited by sedhed (edited 03-09-2004).]

[Thomas]

Exactly, which is why I said earlier that there is no blanket wine for tomato sauce. It's like all other foods--depends on the preparation (and on the subjective desires of the diner too).

Now dozer, explain that toasted garlic. I have never toasted garlic--what's the procedure and what's the result?

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 03-09-2004).]

[barnesy]

I'm with foodie on this one. I almost never serve chianti with my tomato sauces. I usually go with a Valpolicella or a Salice Salentino.

Barnesy

[Thomas]

Dozer, toasted garlic???

[sedhed]

Anyone?

[Innkeeper]

Possibly Dozer meant roasted versus toasted.

[sedhed]

Typo.

[Thomas]

Dozer, dozer, doz...are you there???

[quijote]

S/he's dozing?

[dozer]

Sorry, I've been away.
Anyways, toasted garlic:
garlic, minced, toasted in a pan. Almost like roasting, but not really.

[Thomas]

Dozer, does the garlic get a little bitter after toasting?

It's been my experience that garlic needs a gentle touch of heat to release its flavors and prevent it from becoming bitter.

[californiagirl]

dozer, try using the wine you are serving with dinner and add some to your sauce. I let mine simmer for 3-4 hrs- great flavor!

[dozer]

I mainly use the garlic to create flavored olive oils, and I haven't had any real bitter experiences...