Recipe of the Week: The Finest Fresh Tomato Sauce

Somehow, I've made it all these years having never made fresh tomato sauce. Let me tell you: it's easier than you think and just as delicious as any 'pasta al pomodoro' you find at an Italian restaurant. I suppose the caveat is that you need very good, fresh tomatoes. It will not taste the same with a greenish-pink tomato from your fast food hamburger. But, assuming its the peak of summer (as it is currently) and you have access to quality ingredients (either homegrown or from the farmer's market), this dish couldn't be simpler.

Combination of large yellow-red heirloom and some cherry tomatoes

Have you seen a book called The Geometry of Pasta? It's my new favorite cookbook. Written by Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy, it chronicles all of the most popular pasta shapes (of the nearly 1,200 recorded distinct shapes) in Italian cooking and pairs them with appropriate recipes. As I've heard before from Italian cooks, they insist that only certain sauces should be paired with certain pasta shapes. The book has a really sleek and minimalist design, which was enough to convince me to buy, but from everything I've read, it's also held to a high standard of authenticity and the was very well researched. Check out this feature story on NPR.

In the first few pages, they list recipes for tomato sauces, in succession from looser to thicker sauces. The light sauce is composed of entirely fresh tomatoes, the medium has half fresh and half canned tomatoes, and the rich uses entirely canned. For the light sauce (the one I used), Hildebrand and Kenedy recommend pairing with a delicate pasta such as spaghettini — or, angel hair — or a very subtly flavored filled pasta.

For my adaptation, I used the garlic for the purpose of infusing the oil but removed it before continuing with the recipe. It still had a strong flavor but without bits of garlic in the pasta.

The Finest Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• Any combination of small, medium or large fresh tomatoes constituting 2 lbs more or less
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 6 T extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 
• 3/4 t fine grain salt
• 8 oz. bocconcini (bite-sized fresh rounds of buffalo mozzarella)
• Fresh basil (optional)

Directions

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. 
2. Wash and cut the tomatoes and throw into a food processor or blender - be sure to add all the tomato juice from the cutting board. 
3. In a skillet on Medium heat, add the garlic and 4 T extra virgin olive oil. Cook the garlic until browned (probably 5 minutes) and then discard with a slotted spoon. 
4. Add 1 lb dried pasta to the boiling water and set a timer so that it cooks to al dente.
5. Add the red pepper flakes to the skillet just a moment before the remainder of the ingredients so that it has a chance to bloom, or be cooked in the oil. Add the tomato puree and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer.
6. Cook the tomato sauce for 5 minutes at the most, just enough time for the tomatoes to taste cooked. It's supposed to be very loose and watery. Add the remaining 2 T extra virgin olive oil at the last moment. 
7. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and bocconcini, and top with torn leaves of basil.