Julia Child's Provençale Tomato Sauce

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.

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.

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!

This sauce is spectacularly delicious.

I used my own tomatoes fresh off the vine, and followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of not using tomato paste. Over the past several weeks we've made 6 batches, with several more batches to come.

I really appreciate that the whole tomato is used, seeds and all... for that's where the flavor is.

Total heaven! Last year I used very ripe red tomatoes, this year Heirlooms. What different looking (and tasting) sauces, made exactly as specified, and both wonderful! The Heirlooms were watery, so I boiled them first and scooped some of the water out for vegetable broth (a nice two-fer). The owner of a local farm-to-table restaurant tasted my sauce and requested a few gallons. Definitely professional quality, (well, it's Julia Child!). Experiment (but only with tomatoes, nothing else).

Made this last summer with tomatoes from the farmer's market. Preserved the sauce and gave to friends for Christmas. This is a lush, delicious sauce. A real keeper.

I peeled off an orange peel and put it in the microwave for a very short time...works perfectly~
Muriel

I didn't have dried orange peel either, used a pinch of fresh orange peel zest and it seemed to work fine, sauce was fantastic

The original recipe called for the tomatoes to be peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped. Yet, a food processor prepares the tomatoes adequately.

Anne-- I am sure your sauce was delicious, but the saffron and orange peel really do matter---they are essential to the character of this recipe.

A truly delightful tomato sauce - luscious! I expanded the recipe to suit my garden trove of ripe tomatoes. Five quarts of this summer treat now in the freezer. The rest will go into Jamie's eggplant parm recipe for this evening's meal.

Dried basil? And flour in a fresh tomato sauce? This recipe may stem from the great Julia Child, but I would not dream of using any of these two ingredients in a fresh tomato sauce. Leave out the flour and only use fresh basil, s'il vous plait.

It really really matters. The orange background is fantastic. I had to use a fresh peel and diced it rather than leave it whole so everyone gets a bit!

Make this with end of season tomatoes and only one substitution -used diced fennel instead of fennel seeds and sautéed with the onions. Fabulous flavor. Used 8.5 pounds of tomatoes and got ca. 8.5 cups of sauce which is now residing in the freezer for those cold winter days ahead.

This is terrific, though it took longer than an hour to cook down. Maybe my garden tomatoes were unusually juicy. Didn't have saffron or dried orange peel. Can't think it mattered much. Freezing in ziplock freezer bags for easy storage.