Does this mean I now qualify as a true Rhode Islander or an Italian? Probably not. But for my first forte, DAMN' I did good.
I've been wanting to make sauce (or as RIers call it, Gravy) for a while now. We had a load of roma tomatoes from the garden that needed to be used, and we've given up on the peeling, dicing and freezing because we rarely use them.
I figured I'd find a recipe for sauce and make some.
Hold the phone, a recipe for sauce using fresh tomatoes, that, I determined is like finding a needle in a haystack. Every recipe I was finding used canned tomatoes. NO WAY I wanted to do this au natural!
I finally found a recipe on All Recipes for Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce. So I dilligently read all of the reciews and it was rated way up there. People raved about the ease of the recipe, the taste, everything... I knew this was the recipe for me.
At first I started by peeling the tomatoes, but then it was taking so long that I heeded the recipe and the reviews and skipped peeling and just diced and seeded.
I let it simmer down for a long time today - the house smelled incredible. And when it was done I did run the immersion blender in it for a smoother sauce and to get rid of any remaining skin pieces - although there were like none.
The sauce has this wonderful consistency, a little thin, but certainly able to cling well to a noodle. Hubs tried it and his eyes lit up "This is the best sauce ever." And I would have to agree!
Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce
INGREDIENTS
8 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced - I used a whole head of garlic. PERFECT FLAVOR
1/2 cup olive oil - I only used about 2 T
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced - I used a whole head of garlic. PERFECT FLAVOR
1/2 cup olive oil - I only used about 2 T
salt and pepper to taste
(I also added some dried oregano from our garden at the end, along with some more fresh basil for fresher flavor)
DIRECTIONS
In large saucepan, cook tomatoes and basil over medium-low heat until tomatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, in medium skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.
Add onion mixture to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until thick.
DIRECTIONS
In large saucepan, cook tomatoes and basil over medium-low heat until tomatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, in medium skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.
Add onion mixture to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until thick.
20 minutes in of simmering
After Immersion.
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