From the 5 Heart Home recipe blog, this is a delicious fresh tomato sauce perfect to take advantage of the summer’s best tomatoes. Use basil, oregano, marjoram or any herbs you prefer.
Ingredients
4 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 Tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, or thyme in any combination. Basil by itself is also good)
1 Tblsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Additional fresh chopped herbs, to taste (optional)
Directions
- Cut tomatoes into chunks. Using your hands, squeeze them over a large bowl to catch the flesh and juices, or put the chunks in a food processor and pulse them a few times. Set aside.
- In a large pot set over low heat, sauté minced garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and juices to pot, and top with the fresh herbs.
- Increase the heat to medium, and bring to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When sauce has thickened and reduced, remove the herb stems that remain. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add crushed red pepper flakes and additional fresh chopped herbs if you like.
- Slightly puree the sauce either by using an immersion blender to slightly puree the sauce directly in the pot, running it through a food mill, or allowing the sauce to cool and pulsing it in batches in a food processor. Do not over-process: leave a bit of texture
- Serve warm or allow to slightly cool and store in a container or jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
