Fresh Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti in Fresh Tomato Sauce
If you have a whole bunch of fresh tomatoes this is a great way to use them up. It does take a bit more effort than opening a can of tomatoes. But the result is distinctly different. It is akin to eating Italian food in Italy versus Italian food in the United States. Really, there is no way to compare them.
- 8 to 10 medium tomatoes, preferably heirloom varieties
- 1 small carrot, large dice
- 1 celery stalk, large dice
- 1/2 medium red onion, large dice
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 8 to 10 whole basil leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground back pepper
Tomato Preparation
Heat a large pot of water to the boiling. Once boiling, reduce the temperature to a simmer. In a large bowl prepare an ice and water bath for the tomatoes.
Begin by washing and then coring the tomatoes. You just want to remove the stem and that bit of hard flesh underneath the stem. The rest of the tomato should be left intact. Score the skin on the bottom of the tomatoes with an “X,” it does not have to be especially large. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water to the count of about 20 seconds or 30 seconds if the tomatoes are a bit larger. Remove the tomatoes to the ice bath.
Gently peel the tomatoes by pulling the skin away from the tomatoes using the score marks. The skin should peel easily. You may have to do a bit of cleanup work with a paring knife if the skin breaks while peeling.
Once peeled cut each tomato in half. Place a fine wire mesh sieve over a bowl. Squeeze the tomatoes so the seeds and the gelatinous interiors fall into the sieve. Place the seeded tomato halves into a food processor. Process the tomatoes until smooth but a bit chunky.
Press the seeds and the pulpy material in the sieve with a wooden spoon. A fair amount of liquid should fall into the bowl. Discard the seeds and reserve the liquid in the bowl.
Sauce Preparation
Pour the olive oil into a large sauce pan or dutch oven and heat on medium high. Place the onion, the carrot, the celery and the garlic into a food processor. Process until the ingredients are in a fine dice. Add the diced vegetables to the oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the bay leaves, and the red pepper flakes and sauté for about 5 minutes or until much of the liquid has rendered from the vegetables.
Add the tomatoes and the tomato liquid to the pan. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add half of the basil leaves to the tomato mixture. Once the tomato mixture starts to boil reduce and maintain at a simmer for 45 minutes stirring regularly. Add the remaining basil leaves and adjust the sauce for salt and pepper. Simmer an additional 15 minutes.
Fully Cooked Fresh Tomato Sauce
You can serve the sauce right away with your favorite pasta. I like to let the sauce rest a bit. I think a little bit of cooling allows the flavors to mix better. If it cools a bit too much you can gently reheat the sauce before serving. This should be enough sauce for 4 servings.