Chicago Thin Spiced Tomato Paste Sauce
An intensely spiced, herb-dense Contadina tomato paste sauce engineered for Chicago Southside thin crust pizza (Pizza Factory clone). Crushed fennel seeds, whole leaf herbs, and black pepper create bold tavern flavor.
Ingredients
- Contadina Tomato Paste340g (12 oz can)
- Water (Cool)177g (3/4 cup)
- Fine Table Salt3.0g (1/2 tsp)
- Ground Black Pepper1.2g (1/2 tsp)
- Onion Powder0.8g (1/4 tsp)
- Garlic Powder0.4g (1/8 tsp)
- Dried Thyme1.0g (1 tsp)
- Dried Basil0.5g (1/2 tsp)
- Dried Oregano0.8g (3/4 tsp)
- Dried Marjoram1.2g (1 1/4 tsp)
- Whole Fennel Seeds2.0g (1 tsp)
- McCormick Italian Seasoning0.5g (1/2 tsp)
- Paprika3 dashes
- Granulated Sugar2.0g (1/2 tsp)
Preparation
- Open tomato paste and tomato sauce cans and transfer into a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk in warm water (100ml) until paste is smoothly reconstituted without lumps.
- Measure out dried thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram, and fennel seeds. Crush the dried herbs and fennel seeds firmly between your palms directly into the bowl to release their essential oils.
- Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, fine sea salt, sugar, black pepper, and 15ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Whisk vigorously until completely uniform and glossy.
- Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours before use to allow dried herbs to hydrate and infuse the paste.