Gather 'Round for a Pizza Party
When I was in middle school, I had homemade Sicilian- style pizza at a friend’s house. It was square and had a fluffy thick crust. I remember very vividly her mother walking up to the table and using ...
Because you are not cooking this sauce, we call for just a very small amount of garlic so it doesn’t overpower the beautiful sweetness of the fresh tomatoes. We also ask you to peel the tomatoes—you’ll be glad you went this extra step when you don’t find chewy bits of peel in your sauce.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled
- ¼ cup flavorful extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small clove garlic, mashed using a garlic press
Preparation
Before you start be sure you have two empty bowls and a fine-mesh strainer ready to use.
TO PEEL THE TOMATOES:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low.
Prepare a similar-sized bowl of ice water.
Make a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato using a sharp knife. All at once, place the scored tomatoes into the pot of simmering water. After 30 seconds, remove the tomatoes using a slotted spoon and place in the ice water bath.
When cool, peel each tomato, starting at the X, and discard the skins.
TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Quarter each peeled tomato straight down from the top to create four “petals,” then place the quarters in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse initially 3 or 4 times to break up large pieces, then process until the sauce has a texture similar to salsa. Don’t make it totally smooth.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the tomato purée into it. Allow to strain for about 30 seconds to remove the very watery juice, then pour the purée into a clean bowl, adding the olive oil, salt, basil, pepper and garlic. Stir until the ingredients are well incorporated.
Cover and allow the flavors to marinate for at least an hour, or store in the refrigerator overnight.
