Italian Spaghetti Sauce Made With Garden Fresh Tomatoes

It was high noon when I stepped into the local market, Santa Rosa, in search of fresh ingredients for my latest culinary adventure. Fifteen hungry friends were to pay us a visit the following evening and we planned to welcome them with a feast.

As always, the cacophony of sounds and the odors of decay and freshly cut flowers assaulted my senses. And then I spotted her, a Peruvian casera or vendor, who had traveled from her farm on the coast to sell produce. Her smile reminded me of one of the reasons I fell in love with Peru: the genuine friendliness of the people. The day’s special? Tomatoes, one kilo for just one Nuevo Sol, or about 2.2 pounds of homegrown tomatoes for 37 American cents.

My thoughts voyaged back in time, to the summer my parents planted a garden on a plot of land roughly the size of our house. We spent many back-breaking hours weeding, watering and nurturing the delicate plants. I was schooled in the art of gardening and acquired many valuable skills, such as the ability to hunt down and annihilate voracious tomato worms and pinch off dangerous sucker shoots. Finally, after an endless summer, harvest time arrived! I remember the fruit, in various stages of ripeness, scattered all over the house: tomatoes perched on windowsills, tomatoes stacked on the dining room table, tomatoes strewn across kitchen countertops, tomatoes teetering precariously atop the refrigerator. Every friend, neighbor or relative who dropped by was regaled with bagfuls of the ripe fruit.

I glanced again at the vendor. What is one to do with so many tomatoes? And then I had an epiphany: a large, bubbling pot of tomato sauce would be just right for our dinner party. To make things interesting I purchased seven kilos, or a little over fifteen pounds, of fresh tomatoes.

After carting home my enormous load, I was more ready for a siesta than an afternoon in the kitchen! Nevertheless, the challenge was on. My first obstacle: finding a way to peel the tomatoes. Instead of blanching them in boiling water the traditional way, why not roast them in the oven? Roasting sweetens tomatoes, removes water and concentrates flavor, which would lift my homemade sauce to new heights.

I gave my tomatoes a nice bath in the kitchen sink, crowded them onto two cookie sheets, popped them into a 350F oven and baked them for about an hour. Skins just beginning to split, they were soft and juicy. After allowing them to cool to touch, I peeled them and removed the stem end.

Next, I chopped them in the food processor in batches, being careful to leave enough chunks to add texture to my sauce. Then it was a matter of adding onions, garlic and spices and voila! A batch of spaghetti sauce big enough to feed a crowd.

This satiny sauce has depth of flavor that will defy your perception of Italian tomato sauce, taking it to a new level. In case you don’t plan on using seven kilos of tomatoes, I have halved the recipe for ease of use.



• Roma tomatoes are ideal for sauce as they're fleshy, thick-walled and don't have many seeds. However, any tomato can be used as long as it's ripe and flavorful.
• Choose extra ripe tomatoes. Leave the green ones to ripen on the windowsill.
• If tomatoes are very seedy, remove most of seeds before blending and compensate by adding an extra pound of tomatoes to the pot.
• Don't be afraid to try anchovies. The hairy little fish will give your sauce delicious flavor after melting away without a trace.
• Substitute red wine or beef or chicken broth for the water in the recipe.
• Use fresh or dried basil.
• Since tomatoes vary in sweetness, it’s important to taste the sauce as it simmers. After about an hour, the sauce will reduce and you can begin to sample it. Add more tomato paste for richness of flavor and deeper color, more liquid if it’s too thick, more sugar if it's too sour or bitter. Add more herbs and spices according to preference.
• Simmer sauce for at least two hours or longer if possible. The dish can easily be made a day in advance, as it's even more delicious after flavors marry.
• I needed two pots to start a 15 pound batch of tomato sauce. After simmering for about an hour, though, the sauce had reduced enough to fit into my 8-quart dutch oven.

Italian Spaghetti Sauce

1. This sauce is even more delicious when simmered with meatballs or chicken cacciatore. You could also serve it over fried eggplant for a delicious Eggplant Parmesan.

Yield: 4 quarts or 16 cups of tomato sauce



¡Buon Appetito!

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