Yup, me again … just about anything can be an ‘okay & acceptable tomato pizza sauce’ … even some crushed tomatoes with some salt and olive oil and maybe some pepper because simple is really nice too.

But how great can that pizza ‘sauce’ be (and I say ‘sauce’ as opposed to a crushed tomato spread) when you don’t combine it with a multitude of toppings that will compete with each other ?

We’re gonna make a pizza sauce that is as good ‘on its own’ (and all alone) and a sauce that can ‘hold its own’ when competing with a variety of attention-seeking toppings : cheeses, meat and sliced sausages and other vegetable toppings.

It has to be fresh and subtle (crushed fennel seeds are helpful and fresh tomato plant leaves in summertime are great additions), not too spicy (but that’s up to you) and also not too herby (I prefer a lot of dried oregano but I use bay leaves, parsley and some basil too) so it can be harmonious with most toppings. It must be very smooth (like a purée) so that you don’t end up ripping apart the dough as you’re spreading a thin layer of sauce onto it.

I admit that this pizza tomato sauce recipe that I experimented with (and in which I used a large variety of small quantities of spices) is just like how I remember it because it reminds me of pizza in MONTREAL, which is where I grew up …

And so next week it’s part 3 of the pizza series : authentic MONTREAL-STYLE ALL-DRESSED PIZZA with my own techniques for making it at home in a regular domestic oven but as tasty & crispy & chewy as an authentic pizzeria version (whether eaten in the restaurant or delivered straight to your door) !