« Recipe: Basic Tomato Sauce »

Basic Tomato Sauce

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds fresh tomatoes*

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 sprigs fresh oregano 

1 sprig fresh rosemary

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/2 c basil

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut an "X" on the bottom of each tomato. Working in batches, add several tomatoes to the pot and blanch for approximately 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a bowl.

Peel tomatoes, then crush. If the tomatoes are very watery, place in a fine mesh strainer to drain excess juice. I normally skip this step, and simmer the sauce a bit longer.

Heat oil in a heavy gauge sauce pan until hot but not smoking. Add garlic and herbs. Sauté until garlic softens.

Add the tomatoes and basil to the sauce pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer sauce for approximately 30 minutes (or longer) on medium heat until desired thickness.

Remove and discard oregano and rosemary sprigs.

*You can substitute 2-28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, if fresh tomatoes are unavailable.