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Recipe

Raw Tomato Sauce

We planted four sweet cherry, four Roma and two purple heirloom tomato plants in this years' garden, and they have been abundant! You can only eat so many freshly-picked tomatoes! So what to do? I sure didn't want to remove all the skins to can them ... how about as little processing as necessary to yield a safe, delicious product? What yummy sauce could I develop simply and easily? Here is the fruit of our labors ...

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds fresh tomatoes of your choosing, preferably organic
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or pinch of freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh Basil leaves, torn if large
  • coarse sea salt

Method

  1. Wash then remove stem from tomatoes; dry by rolling rinsed fruit on paper-towel lined baking sheets.
  2. Using a very sharp knife, coarsely chop tomatoes into uniform chunks; pour off liquid and chunks into a large bowl.
  3. Thinly slice garlic cloves; add to tomatoes.
  4. Drizzle on olive oil of choice, red pepper flakes, and torn basil leaves; mix ingredients together using a gentle folding motion.
  5. Sprinkle on coarse sea salt to taste; cover bowl with a lid, a large plate or plastic wrap; set in cool place for at least 1 hour prior to serving.
  6. Wash then remove stem from tomatoes; dry by rolling rinsed fruit on paper-towel lined baking sheets.
  7. Using a very sharp knife, coarsely chop tomatoes into uniform chunks; pour off liquid and chunks into a large bowl.
  8. Thinly slice garlic cloves; add to tomatoes.
  9. Drizzle on olive oil of choice, red pepper flakes, and torn basil leaves; mix ingredients together using a gentle folding motion.
  10. Sprinkle on coarse sea salt to taste; cover bowl with a lid, a large plate or plastic wrap; set in cool place for at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Serve immediately, at room temperature, over cooked pasta of choice; sprinkle on more basil leaves, to taste

Refrigerate unused sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Can serve cold or warmed slightly in saucepan set over medium heat. Servings: 4 when used as a topping for cooked pasta