A bright, balanced tomato sauce does not need simmering. Keeping it uncooked preserves freshness and lets the intense heat of the oven finish the flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 x 400 g can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 small pinch sugar, only if needed
Method
- Tip the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them by hand or pulse briefly with a stick blender. Keep some texture rather than making a completely smooth puree.
- Stir in the garlic, olive oil, salt and oregano. Taste before adding sugar; ripe tomatoes usually do not need it.
- Leave the sauce for 10 minutes so the flavours mingle.
- Use about 80–100 g per 30 cm pizza. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to three days or freeze in pizza-sized portions.
Pizza 0 tip: Too much sauce is a common cause of a soft centre. You should still see small patches of dough through the tomato layer.
Make it your own
For a spicy sauce, add chilli flakes. For a herb-forward version, stir in torn basil immediately before topping the pizza.