Summer Sauce, aka Fresh Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 medium to large Roma or Plum tomatoes, see Notes
- 3-4 medium cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- balsamic vinegar, optional
- 8-12 oz up to 300g dried pasta, prepared as per the package directions, the amount depends on the appetite of whom you are feeding
- 4 tbsp fresh chopped basil, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, see Notes
- fresh cracked black pepper for finishing
- Good extra virgin olive oil for finishing
- Optional: a dollop of ricotta, fiore di latte, or even whipped cottage cheese for finishing
Instructions
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Start by cutting a small slice off of one side of each clean tomato. Place this side against the large-holed side of a box grater set over a bowl. Grate the tomato till all that you are left with is the outer skin in your hands. Continue till all the tomatoes are grated into the bowl.
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Heat olive oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and simmer till fragrant but not turning golden brown, about one minute or so.
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Add the grated tomatoes into the pot with the garlic. Bring to a good simmer, but reduce if simmering too vigorously. You may place a lid over the pot, but leave a good inch or so to let steam leave the pot. Simmer till a good amount of the liquid has evaporated. The length of time will depend on the type of tomatoes you are using, but for Roma tomatoes you will probably need about 15 minutes. You don't want all the liquid gone, just enough to help 'thicken' the tomatoes to create a substantial sauce
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Optional: If you want more oomph, or are using a different type of tomato, you may want to add a tbsp of tomato paste to the tomatoes as they are reducing, this will help give the tomatoes some stability.
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Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Start with 1/2 tsp of each Taste. Is it overly acidic? If so, a small drizzle of good balsamic vinegar is all that you will need to balance it all out.
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Meanwhile, prepare the pasta of choice (usually 2 oz of dry pasta per person) per the package directions in well salted water. Set aside 1/2 cup or so of the final pasta water, and drain the rest of the pasta. Add this pasta directly into the pot with the sauce. Also add in a generous handful of chopped basil, as well as 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Stir through. If by accident you allowed the sauce to reduce too much, and you would like the finished dish to be a bit looser, add some of the reserved pasta water till you get the consistency you desire.
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Divide among four pasta bowls, and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil, crack of black pepper, chopped basil and more cheese, just because!
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Dollop fresh cheese on top to stir into your pasta, to give it some extra oomph or protein, especially if you use whipped cottage cheese.
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See blog post for extra details and serving suggestions.
Recipe Notes
If using medium heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, use two per person, plus an extra one or two, depending on how large they are. These tomatoes container more water and less flesh, so the extra tomato will make up for this. It will also take longer to cook the water down if using these tomatoes. Feel free to add a tbsp of tomato paste or more to help give these tomatoes some substance.
Feel free to use any good quality cheese that you will grate fresh before serving.
How to make Whipped Cottage Cheese: transfer one container of cottage cheese (I like to use a 4% to 6% milk fat cottage cheese) to a blender or food processor. Add 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Blend till smooth. If you find it too thick, add milk one teaspoon at a time till you get a smooth, spreadable cheese. It works great in scrambled eggs, flavoured for dips, even added to sauces instead of creme fraiche or sour cream etc. It is high in protein and low in fat, depending on which style you use.