Fresh Tomato Sauce

By SamU

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 pounds ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 4 large),
• cored, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• Table salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Ground black pepper

Details

Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

Stir oil and garlic together in large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is sizzling and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, reducing heat if sauce begins to stick to bottom of pan, until thickened and chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

Don't add garlic to the hot oil; garlic goes from raw and biting to burnt and acrid in seconds. Start the garlic and oil together in a cold pan.
# Peeling the tomatoes is a must; but keep the seeds in. The moisture that surrounds the seeds prevents the sauce from scorching before the tomatoes soften properly. (The seeds disappear into the sauce by the end of cooking.)
# Use extra-virgin rather than plain olive oil.
# Be stingy with the herbs, a little chopped fresh basil is sufficient.
# Freeze and enjoy months later as a sweet reminder of summer.