Pizza Sauce

Tomato paste in China can be a little hit and miss on flavor. I'm currently living in a more remote mountain town for the summer and my choices here are even more limited. But even in the big city where tomato paste is better, I like a slightly fresher pizza sauce than one where you just open a can of tomato paste. Now sometimes I have some good marinara sauce left and that makes an excellent pizza sauce as well. But the following is what I've been doing for a good middle of the road compromise between the two that is still pretty quick to throw together. Its really adaptable to flavors you may prefer and makes a good pizza or dip for things like calzones or pizza bites or garlic knots.

Pizza Sauce
2 cups tomato puree

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 garlic cloves

Puree 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes using a blender or food processor to make approximately 2 cups. Put in a small pot with all the remaining ingredients and simmer on stovetop for about 10 minutes. Use for pizza or as a dip with other Italian-American favorites.

Notes: I don't bother to peel or de-seed the tomatoes in order to still make this quick but you can if you prefer. Ideally, this is best with a Tablespoon or so of chopped fresh basil in place of the dried basil and Italian seasoning. But I don't often have that on hand.