This is the recipe that won the First Annual 79th Street Greenmarket “Sauce Off!”
Ingredients
- 10-12 each ripe plum tomatoes
- 4 each Roma or Beefsteak tomatoes
- 4 oz. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 each medium onion, finely dice
- 3 peeled garlic cloves, finely dice
- 2 stalks celery, finely dice
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups basil, finely chopped
Procedure
In a large saucepan, bring two quarts of water to a boil. Remove the stem end of each tomato with a paring knife and make a “X” incision on the other end. Drop three tomatoes at a time into the boiling water and remove them after two to three minutes. With a clean towel in hand, gently remove the skins from the tomatoes. Repeat process until all tomatoes are done (both types). Roughly chop up all tomatoes and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onion become wilted. Add the celery, carrots and continue to sauté until they are soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and bay leaves and bring to a gentle simmer for about an hour. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves and add the chopped basil. Season the sauce to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. If you like a smoother sauce, feel free to use a hand blender.
Tip – To speed up preparation, you can chop up the onions and garlic together in a food processor. The same can be done with the celery and carrots.