Most tomato sauce recipes start with a pot of boiling water and an ice bath. Ours starts with the Peeler. The serrated edge grips the skin of a raw tomato and lifts it right off, so the skins come away dry enough to save.
This is the sauce we keep in the fridge all week. It goes into our bolognese, under the zucchini roll-ups and onto plain pasta on the nights nobody wants to cook.
Makes About 4 cups (1 L)
Time 50 minutes
Tool Peeler
Ingredients
The sauce
- 3 lb (1.35 kg) ripe Roma tomatoes, about 14
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp butter (optional)
- ½ tsp sugar, only if the tomatoes taste sharp
Method
- Peel. Hold a tomato in one hand and run the Peeler over it from top to bottom with light pressure, turning as you go. Keep the skins.
- Chop. Core the tomatoes, cut them into quarters and chop them roughly. Scrape every bit of juice off the board into a bowl with them.
- Soften. Warm the oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of the salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges. Stir in the garlic for the last minute.
- Simmer. Add the tomatoes, their juice and the rest of the salt. Bring it to a bubble, then turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy.
- Finish. Tear in the basil and stir in the butter if you are using it. Taste, and add the sugar or more salt only if it needs it. Mash it with a potato masher for a rustic sauce, or blend it smooth.
Save the skins
Because they come off raw and dry, tomato skins freeze well. Keep a bag in the freezer with onion ends, carrot peels and herb stems. When it’s full, it’s a pot of stock.
Out of season
Two 28 oz (796 ml) cans of whole tomatoes work in place of fresh. Skip the peeling, crush them by hand and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. You will end up with a little more sauce.
Storage
Keeps for 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
