Intense Tomato Sauce
Summer ends with so many tomatoes to harvest, it is the perfect time to create this existential Italian sauce for spaghetti and pizza. Pictured are tomatoes in their skins as they cook down. The aroma in the kitchen after hours of reducing tomatoes to a near paste is intoxicating. Use sauce immediately over fresh pasta with herbs, and freeze the rest in portions for winter. ~Mark
Paste-like sauce for pizza and spaghetti - long and slow.
Yield 3 cups
Ingredients
4 pounds Roma tomatoes (about 24 medium-sized)
| 1 | Wash tomatoes. Remove hard stems or spotty pieces. Score a quick slice across the skin and put in a large, heavy-bottomed non-reactive pot. Add 1/4 cup of water. |
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| 2 | Cover pot and place over medium-low heat. Every 5 minutes, mash tomatoes with back of a large spoon to release a bit of juice. Gradually bring to a boil. |
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| 3 | Turn heat to simmer, place lid half ajar to allow steam to release. Reduce slowly, about 4 to 5 hours. Every 30 minutes, mash down tomatoes and stir to ensure they are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. |
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| 4 | When the sauce is thick, and there is no watery tomato juice, you are done. |
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| 5 | Remove skins and stems by pouring tomato sauce through a metal colander or ricer. Discard seeds and skins when done. |
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| 6 | Serve garnished with fresh tomato and herbs or put away by freezing. |
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notes
There seems to be no limit to the number of tomatoes you can reduce. Sauce yield is about 1/6th of the original tomato volume. Cook longer if you want tomato paste.
