Fresh Tomato Sauce

When there's an abundance of fresh tomatoes, this sauce is absolutely perfect for preserving the taste of summer. Make a big batch and freeze it for next winter. Or make a batch,cook some pasta and enjoy! You'll never want Ragu again!

Oh! Oh! Oh! My dear husband ordered me/us a pasta machine.. stay tuned for our new adventures!! I think I'll freeze the batch of Fresh Tomato Sauce I made on Saturday until the pasta machine arrives!!


Fresh Tomato Sauce
2-3 pounds tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 rib celery (about 6 inches long)
1 small carrot
1 medium onion, cut in half through root (leave on the root end)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup red wine
1 cup fresh basil leaves


Place the chopped tomatoes,garlic,celery, carrot,onion halves, salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley in a pot; add just a few drops of water. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken slightly.Check the seasoning and return sauce to the heat; add olive oil and wine. Simmer until sauce is thickened and a drop put on a plate no longer gives off a huge watery halo (depending on how watery the sauce was to begin with, this can take up to an hour).
When the sauce is done, remove onion halves, celery and carrots. Stir in the basil leaves and remove from heat.

To Serve:
Figure about a quarter cup sauce and a quarter pound of pasta per serving. After you've cooked and drained the pasta, stir in the sauce and a dab of butter, then serve it with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese.
For a variation, heat the sauce and, assuming that you're serving four people, stir in a half cup of fresh cream when it begins to bubble. When the sauce is heated through, use it to season your pasta, which is now Rosé.