Pizza Sauces

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A few types of traditional sauces exist for pizza, there is the typical red or tomato based sauce which is probably the favorite of most. The tomato sauce can be quite varied from a fresh tomato sauce that isn’t heavily spiced to one that screams oregano and red pepper. It can be chunky or pureed; thick or thin or even sweetened. The texture and taste of your sauce is really all about preference but at minimum a bit of salt is always a good addition to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes.

Fresh ripe tomatoes are always great to use for making sauce. For those of us with cold winter weather good tomatoes aren’t always available. In the winter and spring months some varieties of can tomatoes are a great alternative. Borrelli, a Canadian manufacture that distributes in the United States, cans whole plum tomatoes that only contain tomatoes and salt and are a great alternative to fresh. All canned tomatoes aren’t equal though. When looking for canned tomatoes look for a manufacture that doesn’t use citric acid or anything besides tomatoes and salt under the ingredients. If possible use the whole tomato varieties and use a blender or food processor to get them to the size or consistency you would like. Try some different brands and don’t be afraid to try the local and smaller brands, they could be better and cheaper.

Pesto sauce is an excellent alternative to using a tomato sauce for pizza. The main ingredient in pesto is fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Making pesto sauce involves the use of a considerable amount of basil. If you don’t have access to an inexpensive source of basil some excellent pesto sauces exist in jars in the pasta sauce section at your grocery. Once again the more expensive or smaller brands will most likely have a better product than the big manufacturers.

Also becoming some what popular is a barbecue sauce which is typically used in conjunction with chicken and was made popular by California Pizza Kitchen. As much as I love barbecue sauce I have mixed feelings about its place on pizza. Obviously it requires toppings that compliment it and is more of a specialty sauce.

One last favorite although not a true sauce is just using some extra virgin olive oil drizzled on your dough with a little fresh black pepper and then your toppings. If try this keep your cheese light and the amount of toppings light as well. This definitely shines best when you keep it simple.