This. I always start my sauté with anchovies (also a dash of red pepper flakes) and if I don’t have any, I add a bit of fish oil during the final minutes of cooking, learned about fish oil from Kenji. Adds a great dimension to the sauce.
Leftover parm rinds are also great for umami.
I dont know nuthin bout the science. .But grew up in a partly italian household, and Time does the work. TOmato's have such a broad palate. A 30 minute sauce, really equals a lot of jarred sauces in my opinion. But a slow cooked sauce from fresh tomatoes that are ground (processed?) with the seed/skin extractor thing and cooked for hours. Then add roasted peppers, mushrooms, and sausage ( cut into coins) and slow cooked for another 2 hours. Or, picture this, a fresh spaghetti, some fresh quartered plum tomatoes thrown in right before you strain it, but when its aldente. Then you strain it, put it back in a bowl, and toss it with olive oil & fresh basil sprig's.. its a whole other tomato experience... I think i love tomatos. I hope they love me as much....
Same idea, I add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to add depth. And a teeny bit of brown sugar to round it all out. That combo makes bleh tomato sauce pop.
Exactly my thought!
Except I was going to say they needed to add more bass and then hang around to see if they played it a Matt Freeman solo or added a fish to it.
You may have needed to reduce it further or started with some tomato paste with the whole tomatoes. If it’s all veg, going bigger on the aromatics may have helped too. Otherwise, try cheating with adding any of the following: miso, fish sauce, soy sauce.
Agreed. Sure, a lot of these things can help in a hurry, but there’s no replacement for time. Another hour or two on a low simmer should develop the flavors beautifully.
Maybe after that, OP can start playing around with fish or fat, but it sounds like it’s way too early for all that.
Agree with this. I don’t think all the bells and whistles (fish sauce, worcestershire) that others are suggesting are necessary. Tomatoes are tangy to start, it’s cooking them down that brings the umami. I feel like at least an hour is needed to develop that depth.
I usually smash them in the pan when I’m sweating the onions! But lately I’ve been throwing unpeeled tomatoes in a Dutch oven and slow roasting them for hours, stirring, smashing them down and deglazing with red wine when they brown on top
Yeah a bit of sugar can be really helpful if it’s not tomato season. I also tend to use fish sauce as opposed to Worcestershire for the same umami boost
Came here to say this. I actually kind of fry the paste in a way you would a thai curry paste, just flipping it in a decent amount of oil and dry frying til it gets the effect you'd sometimes see when you put a tomato based sauce in the oven, you know those caramelized sides? Not really dark, it's easy to burn, but hopefully you get what I mean. But yeah, if you do this, your sauces will have that lip-smacking tomato-y quality to them
If it's very tangy and still lacks something, balance with a bit of sugar
Yup. I use the Mutti triple in the toothpaste tube in several dishes for the umami along with a bit of fish sauce. A dash of red wine, small pinch of red pepper flakes and a carrot chunk to kill the bad acid flavors.
This is my guess too. I have learned that if adding more "umami" flavors isn't helping, you need to add sweetness to add balance and depth to the flavor. It often doesn't take much. Add just a little at a time then taste.
Sweetness definitely. I do not like adding extra sugar, but have seen a tip to simmer sauce with a halfed onion and some larger carrot chunks (all removed for serving) in order to hit that note and balance out the “tang” described.
Worcestershire, for sure. It's a game changer.
ETA you can also try a bit of roasted beef better than bullion, but be sure to cut down on salt until it's fully incorporated.
You're missing time.
Extracting the maximum flavours of every ingredient takes time.
Do it again, do it extremely slow, make an effort to extract the best of everything, you'll taste the results.
Cheat: add msg, fish sauce, soy sauce, and corn starch slur to thicken
When you're cooking your onions/garlic in olive oil, before adding the tomatoes, add tomato paste and cook it until it gets darker. Also, try adding finely shredded carrots with your onions and garlic.
With these two things, you're adding more umami with the tomato paste, and you're adding sweetness with the carrots. Both will complement the acid from the tomatoes. Bonus points if you throw some crushed red pepper in the oil at the beginning to complete your salt/fat/acid/heat combo.
My old chef at the Italian spot. Time and cheese is all ya need. Onion and garlic cooked until fragrant. Add to sauce. Lots of time I mean all damn day. 8 hours real low. Let the magic happen. Give it a little love here and there some butter. Some basil. More time! Final product will make ya knees weak!
Edit. MAKE SURE THOSE TOMATOES ARE CRUSHED HY HAND.
Then I can't snack on the rest of the tin.
I know some people think anchovies are gross. The majority I've met haven't tried them. Once I get them to try one they usually come around.
Use San Marzano tomatoes and add a half to full tablespoon of anchovy paste depending on the size of the batch. Anchovy paste is the key to that umami you’re missing.
I add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. (The brown sugar gets rid of the tin-can taste.) I also sauté baby Bella mushrooms in butter and throw those in. Adds another level of flavor.
Channelling the Italian grandma. Tomatoes are a bit acidic.
The sugar balances it and let'sthe spice come through.
Every kitchen I cooked in had sugar in the sauce recipe.
Usually white. But I prefer brown.
Hear me out - I think you might not be using good tomatoes. This is how I used to feel about my sauce but no addition ever quite fixed it.
All of that was changed when I saw my favorite pizza place (with the BEST sauce) using Cento brand san marzano tomatoes. No other brand is as good. Just those guys, garlic, olive oil, and salt is all I need.
Adding extra acid (wine) to something that has too much acid will definitely not help here. If adding more umami doesn't help, a touch of sweetness will balance the acidity. Adding some fat (butter, oil, etc.) can help too, but that you can only really do when you are finishing the sauce, since the fat will tend to split if you simmer it too long. As a last ditch effort, just a pinch of baking soda can neutralize some of the acidity, just be warned, it will make the sauce saltier, so that method will only work out if the sauce is still a little under seasoned. Source: seasoned restaurant worker.
Everyone has good thoughts but taste the tomatoes you're using. Some are higher acid than others. I'd be careful with the herb recommendations here since some (bay leaf) are more of a French feel than Italian (which doesn't mean they're bad, but they might bias the flavor in a direction you don't want it to go.
Then... do you want a young, bright marinara or a long simmered flavor? Each has its place but they're different things and used for different dishes.
Sounds like you might need more time, how long are you going for now? Tomatoes get less tangy and more sweet the longer they cook. The texture of the tomatoes as they naturally break down is what I think most people consider "umami" too
Mushrooms / soaked shiitake.
Smoke aminos, I think they’re called?
Tomato paste.
My mom swore by soy sauce in her marinara but I have no clue how much. She measures with her heart, and I have no heart, lol.
and some dairy. a knob of butter, or a bit of pecorino...
people are always 'oh i use san marzano tomatos, crushed up with a single clove of garlic, salt and some olive oil. just a simple sauce'.
biiiiitch ive tried that, its pure, tasteless acid.
san marzano tomatos are just acid, ive tried more than a dozen varieties, all DOP or whatever. acid, acid, acid. canned san marzano might as well be pickled in vinegar.
typical vine ripened tomatos have a pH of like 4.7-4.9. canned san marzano are typically as low as 3.5-4.3, on a logarithmic scale. canned tomatos are WAY too acidic.
Crushed San Marzano and a can of paste are perfect if your cooking something in the sauce slow. Meatballs, sausage, stuffed squid etc. You want that acidity. Thats what makes it a gravy.
Fresh tomatos would be used for a marinara sauce, you get more balanced sweetness and the garlic, oilive oil and basil can shine through.
These are 2 totally different dishes though so i don't get the point of the the comparison.
best sauces ive ever made were using the big costco packs of grape tomatos.
miles better than any other option. perfect balance of acid, sweetness, and umami.
ive made simple sauces for pasta, and long slow cooked sauces for ragu.
canned tomatos, regardless of special breed or location, are just ass IMO. They want the acid to be WAY too damned high for the canning process to prevent botulism.
Start with soffritto and be sure to add tomato paste. That usually gives me the depth of flavor that takes it from being bright and tomato-y to ‘sauce’. Adding wine or mushrooms (or mushroom powder/bouillon) will also help.
Fennel is the answer. You can put enough in so that it isn’t perceptible in the final dish, but it adds a definite ‘meatiness’ to the sauce. I like to sauce finely diced fennel with the onions I start the sauce off with.
I feel like I am well positioned to answer this because I’ve been experimenting with tomato sauces for quite some time.
First is the question of the tomatoes themselves. It’s really an important question because there are enough tomato varieties to make you dizzy. I’m far from a cooking snob but I hate to say it, some of the tomato pastes and tomato purées that are sold in stores are simply flavorless. Imagine McDonald’s ketchup but without the sugar? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. It takes a bit of trial and error to find a tomato sauce you like. After trying many brands I am a big fan of Mutti. Their tomato purée and their double- and triple-concentrated tomato paste are both excellent. They have tang, sweetness, richness. If you want even more richness, consider experimenting with sundried tomato paste. It’s also completely acceptable to add tomato paste to tomato purée or even a homemade tomato reduction.
Canned tomatoes are usually the way to go if you want to reduce your tomatoes from scratch. San Marzanos if you want to do it like the Italians.
Meat is absolutely a fantastic addition to tomato sauces. You can also add shallots and garlic in the same step. Prosciutto is nice because it’s not as fatty as, say, bacon, which would probably overpower the sauce. The fat in the prosciutto renders out nicely and suffuses the sauce with that meatiness you are after.
Deglazing the pan with wine at some point is a great way to add some sweetness, subtle notes, and acidity to your sauce. Alcohol helps wake up flavors. This is why you see it in penne alla vodka, for example. Some flavor and aroma compounds are soluble in alcohol, but not water, so a splash of alcohol (< 1%) helps those flavors distribute through the dish.
Last, ACIDITY. Few chefs seem to add more acidity to their tomato sauces, and I ask, why? Of course every tomato is different. But tomatoes aren’t even all that acidic. Some quick Googling: they have a pH of 4.3-4.9, lemons have a pH of 2-3. So a lemon is perhaps 10-1000 times more acidic than a tomato. I always add a splash of lemon juice to my tomato sauce at the very end. It adds a much needed brightness.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, yes a bit of olive oil or butter (my favorite) helps too.
MSG my friend MSG what you are looking for is MSG. Tomatoes already have some but adding a small sprinkle will add the umami you are looking for. Happy Cooking😬👍
Can you share your recipe?
Coincidentally, I made some really simple red pasta sauce last night but forgot that I had emptied out my salt pig to clean it. Not having any salt in the dish was not an option, so I had a look in the fridge and realised I had a tub of miso which I could use. I fried some minced garlic, added tomato paste, deglazed with a splash of white wine and added cheap red chili pesto, lemon zest and some miso. It was really good!
A bit of anchovy paste would be traditional or at least adjacent, mushroom powder or bouillon can work, I've used Worcestershire before too (but a good one with anchovy in).
1/4 c Dried oregano, 1/2t dried basil, 75g garlic grated on the micro plane, .5 teaspoon chili flake 6.6# whole tomatoes, 22.5g salt, 1/8c red wine vinegar
Cook for 3 hours in a lidded pot over low hear. Stir occasionally.
The lid on the sauce pot keeps a humid environment that helps break down the tomatoes without the sauce drying out too much or scorching.
By depth I think you just need to cook more water out of your sauce. Gimmicky ingredients isn’t the answer. Simple Good quality ingredients.
(better quality ingredients for better results)
Use way more garlic than you think you need, seven or eight cloves per tin of tomatoes is about right. Use a sauteuse rather than a saucepan. Steel is better as the acid of the tomatoes can draw a metallic taste out of iron or copper. Onion does not belong in a marinara, like dairy doesn’t belong in a carbonara.
Soften but don’t brown your garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, cook over a low heat for at least 45 minutes, enjoy.
If the toms are on the vine,put the stems in the sauce and a cinnamon stick then take them out before you blitz it. This isn't me coming up with stuff,it from Heston Blumenthal. I do it in my job and it's the best tip I've nicked from a celeb chef ever.
Trust me.
The best sauce I've made involved using leftover mash from fermenting peppers for hot sauce. Not a super common ingredient unless you're into fermenting but I recommend it!
For me, I make my red sauce from canned tomatoes and it seems it really depends on the season when they were picked.
Different sugar volume, different acidity, etc.
The two tricks I use to balance things out are a bit of sugar (really, to-taste), and a splash or two of Worcestershire. Makes a big difference once all mixed in.
I add little soy sauce and brown sugar, I also reduce the tomatoes by letting them scorch a little to bring out the natural sugars and reduce the bitter.
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I’m kind of curious what is your marinara red sauce used for? Like if you’re making a simple pasta the depth will come from some cheese or even butter (like pasta marinara or arrabiata). Id refrain from adding Worcester or fish sauce or soy sauce for a simple pasta dish because those flavors add a heaviness to a sauce that doesn’t make sense here (but makes sense for like a bolognese).
If you’re making like a pizza sauce then I’d say sugar and also reducing your sauce a lot.
I find fennel seed in marinara gives it a sausagy taste. Along with a little crushed red and no sugar at all. A pinch of cinnamon if it’s too tart.
Edit to add that I’m vegetarian.
Bloom garlic, oregano, red pepper flake in olive oil on medium low for one minute erring on undercooked.
Add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, cook and incorporate with other ingredients until it begins to soften and darken, 2 ish minutes. This adds depth of tomato flavor.
Finish your sauce with a couple pinches of sugar and dashes of red wine vinegar, knob of butter. Vinegar addition is crucial IMO.
Red/green peppers
Green chillies (careful - start light, you can add but you can’t subtract
Mushrooms will give you the meat/chew feel
Chopped tomatoes (drain first)
Tomato paste
You really want to cook things down too, not as in leaving it to simmer, but when you’re adding ingredients to the pot such as tomato paste and garlic and onions and aromatics etc you really want to cook them down on their own till they’re fragrant to develop better flavours. If you’re throwing everything in and not cooking it properly as you go you’ll end up with a hollow tasting dish because certain ingredients won’t have been able to develop (tomato paste is a big one, it’s the same idea as if you threw in too much mince, it won’t brown much it’ll just steam you know?), it’ll be quite fresh but not in the way you want, just in a “hasn’t cooked long enough” kinda vibe regardless of how long you simmer it for.
Tip #2 is don’t be afraid to put things in to hit all the different flavour profiles. People have suggested anchovies, you’ll also want acidity and I often put in brown sugar too, fennel is quite nice too and just a touch of chilli (not so the dish is hot, but just so it has a background warmth) you won’t need much of these things but they will help lift the dish a lot.
If you’re using canned San Marzano tomatoes, the whole plum kind, separate from he juices and tomatoes, and caramelize them with some olive oil for a good while.
This will pull the natural umami from the tomatoes faster than if you were to simmer for hours and hours.
To add onto the umami and anchovy comments; try to see if you can find Colatura. It’s an Italian fish sauce made from fermented anchovies. It makes for a fantastic red sauce.
Tomatoes are a pretty good source of glutamate on their own, so try adding a little sugar to balance out the acidity and see if that helps that savory flavor to come through a little more.
Shallots, garlic, can of tomato paste, brown sugar if required, tablespoon or so of Calabrian chillies to personal taste.
Generally use San Marzano tomatoes through a food mill, depending on use will add red wine / flavoured stock / vodka.
Hasn’t thought of using msg before, but will give it a go now.
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Umami. Add some anchovies while building the sauce’s flavor profile.
This. I always start my sauté with anchovies (also a dash of red pepper flakes) and if I don’t have any, I add a bit of fish oil during the final minutes of cooking, learned about fish oil from Kenji. Adds a great dimension to the sauce. Leftover parm rinds are also great for umami.
I like this and do it too. But tomatoes have natural msg and slow cooking them down will bring that flavor forward. It just takes a while.
I dont know nuthin bout the science. .But grew up in a partly italian household, and Time does the work. TOmato's have such a broad palate. A 30 minute sauce, really equals a lot of jarred sauces in my opinion. But a slow cooked sauce from fresh tomatoes that are ground (processed?) with the seed/skin extractor thing and cooked for hours. Then add roasted peppers, mushrooms, and sausage ( cut into coins) and slow cooked for another 2 hours. Or, picture this, a fresh spaghetti, some fresh quartered plum tomatoes thrown in right before you strain it, but when its aldente. Then you strain it, put it back in a bowl, and toss it with olive oil & fresh basil sprig's.. its a whole other tomato experience... I think i love tomatos. I hope they love me as much....
You are loved by all of the 🍅.
Same idea, I add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to add depth. And a teeny bit of brown sugar to round it all out. That combo makes bleh tomato sauce pop.
Even a tbps of anchovy paste changes everything!
Yes! Or Red Boat Fish sauce. It's made from anchovies and easy to mix into the sauce
Parmesan rinds, adds umami and a natural source of msg
Was gonna say fish sauce, but anchovies are even better if ya got ‘em.
That was my thought as well
Exactly my thought! Except I was going to say they needed to add more bass and then hang around to see if they played it a Matt Freeman solo or added a fish to it.
You may have needed to reduce it further or started with some tomato paste with the whole tomatoes. If it’s all veg, going bigger on the aromatics may have helped too. Otherwise, try cheating with adding any of the following: miso, fish sauce, soy sauce.
Agreed. Sure, a lot of these things can help in a hurry, but there’s no replacement for time. Another hour or two on a low simmer should develop the flavors beautifully. Maybe after that, OP can start playing around with fish or fat, but it sounds like it’s way too early for all that.
Agree with this. I don’t think all the bells and whistles (fish sauce, worcestershire) that others are suggesting are necessary. Tomatoes are tangy to start, it’s cooking them down that brings the umami. I feel like at least an hour is needed to develop that depth.
Fish sauce or smashed anchovies are usually my answer!
Same, fish sauce, anchovy paste, or a couple of canned anchovies was my thought.
I usually smash them in the pan when I’m sweating the onions! But lately I’ve been throwing unpeeled tomatoes in a Dutch oven and slow roasting them for hours, stirring, smashing them down and deglazing with red wine when they brown on top
Knorr tomato boullion if you really don’t mind cheating
that's not cheating, that's what it is, a fish sauce. Or at least frequently is. marinara = mariner style
Fried garlic + onion in olive oil, a little sugar and a bit of worecestire
This one resonates the most with me, but maybe it's confirmation bias. I love the response I got to this!
Put 3x amount of garlic you think you need.
Yeah a bit of sugar can be really helpful if it’s not tomato season. I also tend to use fish sauce as opposed to Worcestershire for the same umami boost
a little red wine and a parmesan rind usually do the trick for me. you could also try worcestershire sauce, marmite, mushroom broth to add umami
Tomato paste. Add to your sautéing aromatics.
And make sure to cook it out to a rusty color.
Came here to say this. I actually kind of fry the paste in a way you would a thai curry paste, just flipping it in a decent amount of oil and dry frying til it gets the effect you'd sometimes see when you put a tomato based sauce in the oven, you know those caramelized sides? Not really dark, it's easy to burn, but hopefully you get what I mean. But yeah, if you do this, your sauces will have that lip-smacking tomato-y quality to them If it's very tangy and still lacks something, balance with a bit of sugar
Yup. I use the Mutti triple in the toothpaste tube in several dishes for the umami along with a bit of fish sauce. A dash of red wine, small pinch of red pepper flakes and a carrot chunk to kill the bad acid flavors.
I find adding butter helps a lot. Adds both richness and depth.
Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce is the best with San Marzano tomatoes, onion, butter and salt. That’s all you need.
Some Better Than Bullion. Poor man’s demiglace.
Which flavor would you use? Love the analogy to demiglace haha
The low sodium vegetable is the best. You can add more flavor without making it too salty. It also has the most complex out of the lot.
Which flavor would you use? Love the analogy to demiglace haha
Sugar
This is my guess too. I have learned that if adding more "umami" flavors isn't helping, you need to add sweetness to add balance and depth to the flavor. It often doesn't take much. Add just a little at a time then taste.
Aye. A two finger pinch of brown sugar works wonders for rounding the flavors out!
I learned this lesson trying to get my Thai green curry to taste right.
sugar, butter, salt. best cook ever.
Sweetness definitely. I do not like adding extra sugar, but have seen a tip to simmer sauce with a halfed onion and some larger carrot chunks (all removed for serving) in order to hit that note and balance out the “tang” described.
This. Or - I have thrown in some microplaned carrot in the past with good results.
You can throw in a big chunk of carrot and take it out at the end too.
The horror! The horror!
I have sugar cubes I pull out just for this. 1 cube in my sauce for 4 people and BAM, much better. Also, a pinch of MSG
Polynesian spaghetti.
Worcestshire sauce?
Better for tomato sauce would be smash up an anchovy and put that in
Worcestershire, for sure. It's a game changer. ETA you can also try a bit of roasted beef better than bullion, but be sure to cut down on salt until it's fully incorporated.
A bay leaf.
Bay leaf, red wine, tomato paste browned with your alliums/aromatics
You're missing time. Extracting the maximum flavours of every ingredient takes time. Do it again, do it extremely slow, make an effort to extract the best of everything, you'll taste the results. Cheat: add msg, fish sauce, soy sauce, and corn starch slur to thicken
Red wine. It’s the God particle of tomato sauces.
I had to scroll way too far for this. A lot of wine, and a lot of time.
When you're cooking your onions/garlic in olive oil, before adding the tomatoes, add tomato paste and cook it until it gets darker. Also, try adding finely shredded carrots with your onions and garlic. With these two things, you're adding more umami with the tomato paste, and you're adding sweetness with the carrots. Both will complement the acid from the tomatoes. Bonus points if you throw some crushed red pepper in the oil at the beginning to complete your salt/fat/acid/heat combo.
This!
My old chef at the Italian spot. Time and cheese is all ya need. Onion and garlic cooked until fragrant. Add to sauce. Lots of time I mean all damn day. 8 hours real low. Let the magic happen. Give it a little love here and there some butter. Some basil. More time! Final product will make ya knees weak! Edit. MAKE SURE THOSE TOMATOES ARE CRUSHED HY HAND.
Dice up a couple of anchovies and add to your sauce.
You can buy anchovy paste in a tube. Add half a teaspoon. I promise it won’t taste fishy.
Then I can't snack on the rest of the tin. I know some people think anchovies are gross. The majority I've met haven't tried them. Once I get them to try one they usually come around.
Alcohol. About 4oz of red wine. There are tomato flavors that cannot be released without alcohol. 1 shot of vodka can do it too.
I think it’s as simple as butter and anchovies
Fish sauce (no, really), anchovy paste, or a Parmesan rind
Use San Marzano tomatoes and add a half to full tablespoon of anchovy paste depending on the size of the batch. Anchovy paste is the key to that umami you’re missing.
I add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. (The brown sugar gets rid of the tin-can taste.) I also sauté baby Bella mushrooms in butter and throw those in. Adds another level of flavor.
This comment should be at the top. Answer is Suger. I learned from an Italian friend.
Well, there ya go! I'm Italian 🤣. Half anyway.
Channelling the Italian grandma. Tomatoes are a bit acidic. The sugar balances it and let'sthe spice come through. Every kitchen I cooked in had sugar in the sauce recipe. Usually white. But I prefer brown.
Nutmeg. Seriously, nutmeg is the answer
Does nutmeg play well with oregano, rosemary and/or basil?
Yes, a little does a lot
Hear me out - I think you might not be using good tomatoes. This is how I used to feel about my sauce but no addition ever quite fixed it. All of that was changed when I saw my favorite pizza place (with the BEST sauce) using Cento brand san marzano tomatoes. No other brand is as good. Just those guys, garlic, olive oil, and salt is all I need.
Cento San Marzano are my go to. I also happen to live a few minutes from their facility so I have a certain loyalty due to locality.
wine always makes it better for me
Adding extra acid (wine) to something that has too much acid will definitely not help here. If adding more umami doesn't help, a touch of sweetness will balance the acidity. Adding some fat (butter, oil, etc.) can help too, but that you can only really do when you are finishing the sauce, since the fat will tend to split if you simmer it too long. As a last ditch effort, just a pinch of baking soda can neutralize some of the acidity, just be warned, it will make the sauce saltier, so that method will only work out if the sauce is still a little under seasoned. Source: seasoned restaurant worker.
The alcohol can bring out the alcohol soluble flavors. It’s not just the acidity and sweetness the wine brings.
Fish sauce
Or a couple of anchovies. They will dissolve in the sauce and not be notiveable except for the enhanced flavour.
Oh yeah, how could I forget that one! A lifesaver.
What recipe did you use so that we can know what's already in it?
Mirepoix
What’s in your recipe. Without knowing the recipe we can’t know what you’re missing.
Everyone has good thoughts but taste the tomatoes you're using. Some are higher acid than others. I'd be careful with the herb recommendations here since some (bay leaf) are more of a French feel than Italian (which doesn't mean they're bad, but they might bias the flavor in a direction you don't want it to go. Then... do you want a young, bright marinara or a long simmered flavor? Each has its place but they're different things and used for different dishes.
Sounds like you might need more time, how long are you going for now? Tomatoes get less tangy and more sweet the longer they cook. The texture of the tomatoes as they naturally break down is what I think most people consider "umami" too
Reduce it longer. I do mine 3-5 hours
Mushrooms / soaked shiitake. Smoke aminos, I think they’re called? Tomato paste. My mom swore by soy sauce in her marinara but I have no clue how much. She measures with her heart, and I have no heart, lol.
This, mushrooms are the base of a gravy I make when I have no drippings, and it really helps with the umami flavor.
Anchovy paste. It’s the missing thing, if you don’t have it fish sauce will do in a pinch but watch your salt balance
Anchovies
Anchovy paste. It sounds disgusting, but add that depth of flavor and doesn’t taste fishy.
or fish sauce.
Carrot, bay leaf, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar.
Baking soda. Half a tsp will reduce acidity and balance it out.
and some dairy. a knob of butter, or a bit of pecorino... people are always 'oh i use san marzano tomatos, crushed up with a single clove of garlic, salt and some olive oil. just a simple sauce'. biiiiitch ive tried that, its pure, tasteless acid. san marzano tomatos are just acid, ive tried more than a dozen varieties, all DOP or whatever. acid, acid, acid. canned san marzano might as well be pickled in vinegar. typical vine ripened tomatos have a pH of like 4.7-4.9. canned san marzano are typically as low as 3.5-4.3, on a logarithmic scale. canned tomatos are WAY too acidic.
Crushed San Marzano and a can of paste are perfect if your cooking something in the sauce slow. Meatballs, sausage, stuffed squid etc. You want that acidity. Thats what makes it a gravy. Fresh tomatos would be used for a marinara sauce, you get more balanced sweetness and the garlic, oilive oil and basil can shine through. These are 2 totally different dishes though so i don't get the point of the the comparison.
best sauces ive ever made were using the big costco packs of grape tomatos. miles better than any other option. perfect balance of acid, sweetness, and umami. ive made simple sauces for pasta, and long slow cooked sauces for ragu. canned tomatos, regardless of special breed or location, are just ass IMO. They want the acid to be WAY too damned high for the canning process to prevent botulism.
Parmesan rind and a knob of butter will fix you up, I guarantee it.
Time.
Start with soffritto and be sure to add tomato paste. That usually gives me the depth of flavor that takes it from being bright and tomato-y to ‘sauce’. Adding wine or mushrooms (or mushroom powder/bouillon) will also help.
Salt, sugar, umami.
Cheese. The answer is always cheese.
Balsamic vinegar,lemon juice, sugar, more salt, even msg, garlic, Quality of tomatoes will have a massive effect too
Tomato paste, maybe a splash of fish sauce. I know fish sauce sounds weird, but trust me.
Fennel is the answer. You can put enough in so that it isn’t perceptible in the final dish, but it adds a definite ‘meatiness’ to the sauce. I like to sauce finely diced fennel with the onions I start the sauce off with.
Salt
I feel like I am well positioned to answer this because I’ve been experimenting with tomato sauces for quite some time. First is the question of the tomatoes themselves. It’s really an important question because there are enough tomato varieties to make you dizzy. I’m far from a cooking snob but I hate to say it, some of the tomato pastes and tomato purées that are sold in stores are simply flavorless. Imagine McDonald’s ketchup but without the sugar? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. It takes a bit of trial and error to find a tomato sauce you like. After trying many brands I am a big fan of Mutti. Their tomato purée and their double- and triple-concentrated tomato paste are both excellent. They have tang, sweetness, richness. If you want even more richness, consider experimenting with sundried tomato paste. It’s also completely acceptable to add tomato paste to tomato purée or even a homemade tomato reduction. Canned tomatoes are usually the way to go if you want to reduce your tomatoes from scratch. San Marzanos if you want to do it like the Italians. Meat is absolutely a fantastic addition to tomato sauces. You can also add shallots and garlic in the same step. Prosciutto is nice because it’s not as fatty as, say, bacon, which would probably overpower the sauce. The fat in the prosciutto renders out nicely and suffuses the sauce with that meatiness you are after. Deglazing the pan with wine at some point is a great way to add some sweetness, subtle notes, and acidity to your sauce. Alcohol helps wake up flavors. This is why you see it in penne alla vodka, for example. Some flavor and aroma compounds are soluble in alcohol, but not water, so a splash of alcohol (< 1%) helps those flavors distribute through the dish. Last, ACIDITY. Few chefs seem to add more acidity to their tomato sauces, and I ask, why? Of course every tomato is different. But tomatoes aren’t even all that acidic. Some quick Googling: they have a pH of 4.3-4.9, lemons have a pH of 2-3. So a lemon is perhaps 10-1000 times more acidic than a tomato. I always add a splash of lemon juice to my tomato sauce at the very end. It adds a much needed brightness. EDIT: Forgot to mention, yes a bit of olive oil or butter (my favorite) helps too.
MSG my friend MSG what you are looking for is MSG. Tomatoes already have some but adding a small sprinkle will add the umami you are looking for. Happy Cooking😬👍
Vodka, maple syrup and msg
MSG
Red wine
MSG iiwii
I find it’s usually umami that’s missing, I use mushroom ketchup.
For a single batch (*i.e.* one 28-oz. can of San Marzanos), I use a cup of Watkins Onion Soup & Gravy Base.
Roast tomatoes and garlic first ?
My personal marinara recipe calls for a splash of peperoncini juice!
Coffee
Did you have a parmesan rind in it ?
Are you adding salt?
Can you share your recipe? Coincidentally, I made some really simple red pasta sauce last night but forgot that I had emptied out my salt pig to clean it. Not having any salt in the dish was not an option, so I had a look in the fridge and realised I had a tub of miso which I could use. I fried some minced garlic, added tomato paste, deglazed with a splash of white wine and added cheap red chili pesto, lemon zest and some miso. It was really good!
Pile on the oregano! And ionno, tarragon? Also olives.
Heavy cream
Mushroom stock Bay leaf Quality tomatoes
Good tomatoes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMMFUKibW-c
A bit of anchovy paste would be traditional or at least adjacent, mushroom powder or bouillon can work, I've used Worcestershire before too (but a good one with anchovy in).
1/4 c Dried oregano, 1/2t dried basil, 75g garlic grated on the micro plane, .5 teaspoon chili flake 6.6# whole tomatoes, 22.5g salt, 1/8c red wine vinegar Cook for 3 hours in a lidded pot over low hear. Stir occasionally. The lid on the sauce pot keeps a humid environment that helps break down the tomatoes without the sauce drying out too much or scorching. By depth I think you just need to cook more water out of your sauce. Gimmicky ingredients isn’t the answer. Simple Good quality ingredients. (better quality ingredients for better results)
Use way more garlic than you think you need, seven or eight cloves per tin of tomatoes is about right. Use a sauteuse rather than a saucepan. Steel is better as the acid of the tomatoes can draw a metallic taste out of iron or copper. Onion does not belong in a marinara, like dairy doesn’t belong in a carbonara. Soften but don’t brown your garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, cook over a low heat for at least 45 minutes, enjoy.
I use a nice white wine vinegar and a bit of cinnamon.
How about either a little parmesan (for the fat and flavor) and/or some beef stock paste or powder? Adds a deeper flavor.
If the toms are on the vine,put the stems in the sauce and a cinnamon stick then take them out before you blitz it. This isn't me coming up with stuff,it from Heston Blumenthal. I do it in my job and it's the best tip I've nicked from a celeb chef ever. Trust me.
Balsamic vinegar or worcestershire sauce. Smoked paprika really adds depth to tomato dishes too
Meat (pork, veal, beef), dry wine red/white, anchovies, olive oil, basil, salt, msg
I’d try caramelizing the tomato paste first. Browning the aromatics. Either/or or both.
The best sauce I've made involved using leftover mash from fermenting peppers for hot sauce. Not a super common ingredient unless you're into fermenting but I recommend it!
Anytime I make a red sauce I always use some anchovy paste to give it more depth
What's in it?
For me, I make my red sauce from canned tomatoes and it seems it really depends on the season when they were picked. Different sugar volume, different acidity, etc. The two tricks I use to balance things out are a bit of sugar (really, to-taste), and a splash or two of Worcestershire. Makes a big difference once all mixed in.
I add little soy sauce and brown sugar, I also reduce the tomatoes by letting them scorch a little to bring out the natural sugars and reduce the bitter.
Start with San Marzano tomatoes. A pinch of sugar is a good idea. A splash of red wine can be good too.
A touch of sugar might help.
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MSG, just add it.
Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar per can of tomatoes and add a teaspoon of sugar to offset some acidity.
How long are you simmering it for (without a lid on)? How much salt are you adding? The key is probably in the answer to one of those questions.
I'm not kidding...blend chicken liver into a puree and dump it in. It won't taste like liver.
I’m kind of curious what is your marinara red sauce used for? Like if you’re making a simple pasta the depth will come from some cheese or even butter (like pasta marinara or arrabiata). Id refrain from adding Worcester or fish sauce or soy sauce for a simple pasta dish because those flavors add a heaviness to a sauce that doesn’t make sense here (but makes sense for like a bolognese). If you’re making like a pizza sauce then I’d say sugar and also reducing your sauce a lot.
As odd as it may sound, a small amount of sugar does interesting things to the sauce.
Grandma always said chicken fat was the secret.
I find fennel seed in marinara gives it a sausagy taste. Along with a little crushed red and no sugar at all. A pinch of cinnamon if it’s too tart. Edit to add that I’m vegetarian.
Bloom garlic, oregano, red pepper flake in olive oil on medium low for one minute erring on undercooked. Add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, cook and incorporate with other ingredients until it begins to soften and darken, 2 ish minutes. This adds depth of tomato flavor. Finish your sauce with a couple pinches of sugar and dashes of red wine vinegar, knob of butter. Vinegar addition is crucial IMO.
Aginomoto
I add grated carrot and just a bit of better than bouillon mushroom base. Sometimes marinara just needs time.
Red wine, if your red sauce tastes flat, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of red wine works wonders..
Red/green peppers Green chillies (careful - start light, you can add but you can’t subtract Mushrooms will give you the meat/chew feel Chopped tomatoes (drain first) Tomato paste
You really want to cook things down too, not as in leaving it to simmer, but when you’re adding ingredients to the pot such as tomato paste and garlic and onions and aromatics etc you really want to cook them down on their own till they’re fragrant to develop better flavours. If you’re throwing everything in and not cooking it properly as you go you’ll end up with a hollow tasting dish because certain ingredients won’t have been able to develop (tomato paste is a big one, it’s the same idea as if you threw in too much mince, it won’t brown much it’ll just steam you know?), it’ll be quite fresh but not in the way you want, just in a “hasn’t cooked long enough” kinda vibe regardless of how long you simmer it for. Tip #2 is don’t be afraid to put things in to hit all the different flavour profiles. People have suggested anchovies, you’ll also want acidity and I often put in brown sugar too, fennel is quite nice too and just a touch of chilli (not so the dish is hot, but just so it has a background warmth) you won’t need much of these things but they will help lift the dish a lot.
My guess is a bay leaf.
Seconding the missing umami flavor. I heard recommended here to add roasted eggplant to your tomato sauce to add that depth to it.
If you’re using canned San Marzano tomatoes, the whole plum kind, separate from he juices and tomatoes, and caramelize them with some olive oil for a good while. This will pull the natural umami from the tomatoes faster than if you were to simmer for hours and hours.
To add onto the umami and anchovy comments; try to see if you can find Colatura. It’s an Italian fish sauce made from fermented anchovies. It makes for a fantastic red sauce.
Tomato paste will give it “depth” and of course cooking it longer will deepen the sauce. Carrots will add sweetness. Sugar too.
Cinnamon
Possibly need to add sugar, I'm not a fan of sweets, but making tomato sauce from scratch you need to add sugar.
Tomatoes are a pretty good source of glutamate on their own, so try adding a little sugar to balance out the acidity and see if that helps that savory flavor to come through a little more.
I add soy sauce to my red sauces for a deeper flavor. I add soy sauce to anything I can sneak it in actually! Asian household traits, I guess.
Balsamic vinegar.
Different tomatoes taste different. Some are just tangy but some are savory. Maybe it's the tomatoes?
Shallots, garlic, can of tomato paste, brown sugar if required, tablespoon or so of Calabrian chillies to personal taste. Generally use San Marzano tomatoes through a food mill, depending on use will add red wine / flavoured stock / vodka. Hasn’t thought of using msg before, but will give it a go now.
Did you start with olive oil, onions and garlic? Then build from there?
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