Fresh Tomato Sauce
This deliciously simple sauce uses fresh or canned tomatoes. To turn the recipe into a meat sauce, start with 1 pound of minced or ground meat– beef, pork, or lamb, and sauté in olive oil until browned. Season with salt and pepper, then add garlic and proceed from step 2. If tomatoes lack sweetness you can add a touch of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Take care not to use too much as it can make the sauce cloying. Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled, trimmed and lightly smashed
- 3 pounds fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, pureed and strained coarsely
- Sugar, optional
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon whole fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red chile flake, optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the garlic cloves and sauté until golden.
3. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, sugar, bay leaf, fennel seed, oregano, chili flake (opt.) and parsley. Season lightly with salt.
4. Simmer for 1 hour to develop the flavor, adding more water if the sauce gets too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.