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Kathy in Jupiter has accidentally over-salted her marinara sauce, and she wants to know if there is any way to save it.

You certainly can save it, Kathy, although you will need a new game plan. We’re very sorry this happened to you. The easiest thing to do may be to scrap the sauce and begin again, but, if you are like most cooks, that option just seems unbearable, especially if you have put time, care and money into it.

What you want to do if you choose to stick by your sauce is use the sauce you have as a base for more sauce, either now or in the future. You can do this by simply adding more of all of your other ingredients until the right taste is achieved, but that would likely mean multiplying your recipe by 3: there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, so you have essentially tripled the salt in your sauce and will need to triple the rest of the ingredients as well to bring it back. Obviously, this method may involve making more sauce than you are prepared to serve or store in your freezer.

What to do then? Make a paste out of your sauce. Push the salty sauce through a sieve, or screen, or process through a food mill. Then return it to the pot and cook over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until it has reduced to a paste texture. Allow to cool and separate into 3 portions. Each one of these 3 portions can act as a base for your sauce - use one third of it now to make a new sauce, and save the other two in the freezer until the next time you want to make a marinara, or pomodoro, or red pepper sauce.

With a minimum of adjustment to your original game plan, you can often make hurtles in the kitchen work for you. Remember to try and have fun with all of your new homemade tomato paste. Also, don’t hesitate to call ChefsLine for one-on-one instruction while cooking. We’ll teach you how to prepare an authentic marinara and how and when to season a sauce properly. Put the recipe aside and let’s just cook up a sauce that suits your taste buds!