Julia Child's Provençale Tomato Sauce

Name: Julia Child's Provençale Tomato Sauce
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: About 1 quart
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 2/3 cup finely minced yellow onions; Kosher salt and black pepper; 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour; 5 to 6 pounds ripe tomatoes, quartered; 1/8 teaspoon sugar, plus more to taste; 4 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press; A large herb bouquet: 8 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs thyme, all tied in cheesecloth; 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, oregano, marjoram or savory; Large pinch saffron threads; 1 dozen coriander seeds, lightly crushed; 1 2-inch piece dried orange peel (or 1/2 teaspoon granules); 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)

Recipe from Julia Child

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Julia Child's Provençale Tomato Sauce — Evan Sung for The New York Times

Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: 5(612)
Comments: Read comments

This is an under-the-radar basic from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” featured in a New York Times article about readers’ favorite Child recipes. It is a tomato sauce with onions, garlic and basil, raised high with a perfumed whiff of orange peel and coriander seed. Make it when the farmers’ market is overflowing with good tomatoes, freeze it in plastic bags, and use it until there is no more. It is a combination of two things Mrs. Child loved: good technique and fresh Provençal flavors. It is a great recipe. —Julia Moskin

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1 quart

¼cup olive oil
⅔cup finely minced yellow onions
Kosher salt and black pepper
4teaspoons all-purpose flour
5 to 6pounds ripe tomatoes, quartered
⅛teaspoon sugar, plus more to taste
4cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
A large herb bouquet: 8 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs thyme, all tied in cheesecloth
¼teaspoon fennel seeds
½teaspoon dried basil, oregano, marjoram or savory
Large pinch saffron threads
1dozen coriander seeds, lightly crushed
12-inch piece dried orange peel (or ½ teaspoon granules)
2 to 3tablespoons tomato paste (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Sprinkle on the flour and cook slowly for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally; do not brown.
Step 2
Meanwhile, fit a food processor with the coarse grating blade. Working in batches to avoid overfilling the machine, push the tomatoes through the feed tube to make a coarse purée.
Step 3
Stir the tomatoes, sugar, garlic, herb bouquet, fennel, basil, saffron, coriander, orange peel and 1 teaspoon salt into the pot. Cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes, so the tomatoes will render more of their juice. Then uncover and simmer for about an hour, until thick. The sauce is done when it tastes thoroughly cooked and is thick enough to form a mass in the spoon. Remove herb bouquet and taste. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and tomato paste, and simmer two minutes more. The sauce may be used immediately, refrigerated or frozen for up to 6 months.

Ratings

5 out of 5

612 user ratings

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Comments

SonomaSMB7 years ago

This is the best tomato sauce on the planet. I was skeptical about the flour, but it seems to give nice body and silkiness. If you have great tomatoes, you probably won't need tomato paste.

But please don't leave out any of the seasonings. The fennel, saffron, coriander and orange peel all contribute to a really distinctive Provençal flavor. Basil is nice in this, but I think marjoram is a better fit.

Sarah7 years ago

If you want an even easier technique, you can skip the food processor and just toss the quartered tomatoes in the pot, simmer until it's all cooked down sufficiently, then use an immersion blender to puree everything at the end. Less fuss, less mess. That's how I always make tomato sauce from my garden tomatoes. I usually flavor my sauce with a nothing but onions, garlic, and basil, so I'm eager to try this combination of spices.

Laurie Dickerson7 years ago

Wonderful and so easy, given that you can just put the tomatoes in the food processor, skins and all. I made this often at the end of summer when tomatoes were abundant. Definitely freeze as much as you can---you will appreciate it in the dead of winter when you want a taste of summer!

Winnie6 months ago

I made this as part of my French breakfast speciality “Jacque-shuka” - all my guests said it was one of the best breakfasts they’ve ever had. Simply a remarkable recipe. Use free range eggs.

Joanne8 months ago

The flavor was good but I found the seeds and skin off putting. Also, I cooked for more than 2 hours and it still was very thin. Removing seeds would eliminate some of the moisture.

Mary Beth9 months ago

Delicious but outcome will depend on: Tomato type: Roma type best Thriftiness: make dried orange peel by setting strips of peel in sun for a few days Tasting: suggestions for salt, pepper, sugar, tomato paste at end are smart, dependent on what tomatoes are used, and the difference between ho hum and great Patience: my garden tomatoes took closer to 90 minutes Genius: commentators who suggest immersion blending—that’s the play at the end for velvety sauce!

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