THOMAS KELLER OVEN ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

This was a nice chunky well thought out sauce from the master.  It served a beautiful topping to the meatballs.  Slow roasted veggies followed by even more slow roasting of the tomatoes allows for deep flavors to be built.  The great thing about the sauce is when you taste the sauce, you really get the levels of flavor a couple seconds after your done eating it.

2 tbs canola oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 cup minced leeks

1 cup finely chopped fennel

1 tbs plus 1 tsp minced garlic

kosher salt

2 tbs light brown sugar

2 tbs red wine vinegar

two 28-32 oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes

1 sachet

freshly ground pepper

Get your veggies out and start your mise en place

One tablespoon plus one teaspoon of garlic...I love his precision.

Get the leeks, oil, onion, fennel and garlic into a dutchy and roast in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, until the veggies are tender and beginning to caramelize

Add your brown sugar and vinegar and cook for another 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, get your tomatoes ready.  Strain and seed all of your tomatoes.  Half will go into the food pro to be pureed (or immersion blender), the other half will get a coarse chopping.

Add the tomatoes and the sachet and roast for another 1 1/2 hours stirring every 30 minutes. 

The sauce should have a nice thick and full, rich flavor.  Run the sides of a spoon through the sauce-if it runs back together immediately, it is too thin.  Return it to the oven and cook till thickened.  Discard the sachet and let cool to room temp.  This can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.