"Julia Child always took care to make complex French recipes seem doable for home cooks, but if you're not in the mood for coq au vin, the beloved chef has plenty of wisdom for enhancing weeknight staples. For instance, her "Provençale Tomato Sauce" recipe is fairly simple, with the exception of some special aromatics to make it sing. One of the more unusual yet genius ingredients is orange peel."
"Tossing in a bit of orange rind is one of the top tips from celebrity chefs to improve homemade pasta sauce, as it infuses the whole pot with a subtle, refreshing sweetness that creates more dimension than plain old sugar. Tomatoes are a fruit after all, so a touch of citrusy complexity goes a long way towards enhancing their flavor."
Provençale tomato sauce combines tomatoes with aromatic additions such as orange peel, fresh and dried herbs, coriander and fennel seeds, and saffron. Orange peel or zest imparts subtle, refreshing sweetness and aromatic oils that increase flavor complexity without adding sourness or acidity. Fresh zest is more potent than dried peel, so use a smaller amount and avoid bitter white pith. Add zest at the start of simmering for both long-cooked and quick sauces. Saffron threads introduce warm, Provence-appropriate spice, while lemon zest can substitute for orange when needed.
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