Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce Recipe

Thick, Rich Tomato Sauce, Bursting With Flavor & Freshness

What to do with all those tomatoes from my garden? Also vast quantities of basil, but that's another story. Inspiration struck!

Unlike some of my inspirations, this tomato basil sauce turned out OMG Fantastic!

And it was easy to make - after blanching, peeling and seeding all those tomatoes! Which isn't hard, but it takes a while. The long simmering with occasional stirring takes time too. So this is a good recipe to make on a free evening with a couple of friends and your favorite music.

This recipe makes about a quart of sublime tomato sauce, which you can horde and eat a spoonful at a time (if your friends let you). Or you can make a pot of pasta, stir fry a few veggies and tofu, and eat pasta, tofu and veggies with your friends!

To make tomato sauce, you'll need: ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, lots of garlic, a big wide pot, and plenty of time.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients

• 4 - 5 lb ripe plum tomatoes (approx 1 gallon)
• 2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic (4 - 6 cloves)
• 1 - 2 Tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
• pinch cayenne or chipotle pepper
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp raw cane sugar
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
• 1 tsp salt or to taste

Prepping The Tomatoes

1. Blanche The Tomatoes:
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
3. Reduce heat to simmer and add half the tomatoes
4. Dip and turn the tomatoes for a minute with a slotted spoon, then remove and plunge in cold water (adding a tray of ice cubes helps)
5. Drain the tomatoes in a colander, then cut out the cores and slip off the skins
6. Repeat with the rest of the tomatoes
7. Cut the tomatoes in half length wise, and scoop out the seeds with your thumb or a small spoon
8. Cut the tomatoes in strips, then slice in small pieces

Sauce Directions

1. Heat the olive oil on low in a wide, deep saucepan for 10 minutes
2. Peel, stem and mince the garlic
3. Half the jalapeño lengthwise and remove the seeds. Slice thin lengthwise, then crosswise to make small pieces
4. Add the garlic and jalapeño to the oil, and lightly brown
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, turn up heat and stir until they start to boil
6. Reduce heat to med-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about half. This will take about an hour.
7. Briefly whiz about 2 cups of the tomatoes in a food processor or blender, and add them back to the cooking pot
8. While the tomatoes are cooking, prep the basil: Pull the basil leaves off the stems, add to a measuring cup until you have 1 cups of basil
9. Mince the basil leaves
10. Stir the basil, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper into the tomatoes, and simmer another 15 minutes or so
11. Store the tomato sauce in a jar for immediate use, or freeze in small freezer bags or containers