Sauce Tomate (Classical French)

Dice the salt pork small and set it in a heavy-bottomed pot over low-medium heat (or simply melt the butter). Let it render slowly without browning, drawing the fat out clear and the scraps to a pale gold. You want a film of clean fat coating the pot, not a fry.

Add the finely cut mirepoix and the garlic to the fat. Sweat over low-medium heat, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent and the whole pot softens and goes silent of its raw bite. Do not let it color — this is a foundation, not a fond.

Add the chopped tomatoes (crush canned ones by hand) and the pinch of sugar to correct their acidity. Raise the heat to a lively simmer and cook down, stirring as it thickens, until the watery tomato has collapsed into a thick, jammy base and the bright raw smell turns deep and sweet.

Pour in the white stock, tuck in the bouquet garni, and season lightly with salt (go easy if you used salt pork). Bring to the barest simmer and hold it there, partially covered, for an hour and a half or more, skimming the fat and scum that gather at the surface. The sauce should ripple, never boil.

Discard the bouquet garni and the pork scraps. Pass the sauce through a food mill or push it through a fine sieve with a ladle, working the solids until only dry skins and fibre remain behind. Return it to the heat, taste, and adjust salt and the pinch of sugar to balance the acidity into a smooth, velvety sauce.