This week my CSA offered 10 lb boxes of Roma tomatoes at a fairly steep discount... most likely because it's the end of the summer and they're swimming in tomatoes. I took the bait, and now I am similarly treading in deep tomato waters.I decided to make a whole bunch of simple tomato-basil sauce to freeze so we could have the fresh tomato taste in a couple months when the grocery store tomatoes are pale and anemic.
I used the basic tomato sauce recipe from this pasta cookbook Mom gave me several years ago... here's the general gist, although feel free to amp up whatever aspect of it you like:
4 lb peeled/seeded/diced Roma tomatoes
2 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (and/or parsley)
- throw everything but the herbs into a large pot over medium heat
- bring to a boil
- turn heat down, simmer for 20 minutes
- add chopped herbs
- process the sauce (or part of the sauce) to get the consistency you want
- cook 5 minutes more