Description
This red sauce is smooth, rich, and appropriately spicy towards the finish, perfect for a slightly cool fall day on the West Coast.
Ingredients
Scale
- 10 Beefsteak tomatoes
- 15 Plum tomatoes
- 9 cloves of garlic
- 3 carrots (zested)
- 2 sweet onions (diced)
- 3 heaping tablespoons of fresh sage
- 3 heaping tablespoons of basil
- 1 tablespoon of chili flakes
- 1/2 of a lemon (zested)
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of red wine
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
Instructions
- Fill a stock pot half way with water and bring to boil.
- Cross hatch the bottom of each tomato with a knife to make for easy peeling once tomatoes are blanched.
- Blanch the tomatoes in batches, according to how many fit in the pot. You may need to add more water after a few batches (bringing to boil.)
- When the skin begins to peel and crinkle, set the tomatoes down in a bowl or on a baking sheet.
- When all of the tomatoes are done, peel the skins off and chop off the ends.
- Dice the tomatoes and make sure to avoid the core.
- Heat olive oil in a stock pan over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add onions, garlic, carrots, sage, and basil. Let this cook over medium heat while occasionally stirring for about ten minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Then add lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, and stir.
- Add in chopped tomatoes and wine.
- Turn up the temperature to high heat and stir for 5 minutes.
- Cover stock pot with a lid and reduce temperature to low as the marinara simmers for two and a half hours.
- At this point, you can leave the marinara hearty with hunks of tomatoes or blend half of the mixture with an emulsifier or blender. You can also blend the whole batch. I personally prefer half smooth and the other half to possess texture.
- It’s nice to cook the red sauce early and then let it sit and rest for a while. I actually believe this pot of sauce tastes markedly better the next day as it’s had a chance to thicken and absorb all of the flavors.
- This is the perfect dish to prepare and freeze!
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: Italian