Tomato sauce: my easy formula, a foundamental base for a lot of Italian recipes

The fresh tomato sauce is at the base of an innumerable very Italian recipes. The original recipe is complicated and long. My version is much easier and quicker. Furthermore, it keeps the nutritive value of the entire tomatoes, peel included.

With this recipe you will be able to have in one shot both a rustic or a creamy tomato sauce.

All you need is fresh good elements, a food processor or a chopper, and a blender – you will need a couple of hours to cook it, but all you will have to do is to stir it from time to time.

Here the ingredients:

1,5 kg fresh ripe tomatoes, a little celery, a couple of carrots, half a little onion, a couple of garlic gloves, basil, salt, sugar, half a glass of EVO Oil (Extra Virgin Olive oil).

With the exception of the not peeled tomatoes, the oil, the salt and the sugar all the other vegetables may be not used, according to your personal taste. You may also add some red-hot chili pepper if you wish to have it spicy, but be careful not to cover the tomato flavour.

Wash and chop all the vegetables until you have them like  rustic sauce.

Put them in a pot with the oil, the needed salt and a pinch of sugar, that will help to make your sauce much sweeter, especially in the winter. Cook over medium heat covering with a grate for one hour minimum – the cooking time really depends on the tomatoes you use: the more they produce liquid the more you will have to cook them.

Let it cook until it thickens and gets have a good consistency, and when the most part of the vegetables liquid will evaporate.

Now is ready: you may decide to keep it as it is, very rustic, or to blend it untill is creamy. at the end add some basil leaves.

The final result will be this one.

You may use the rustic version with meat, boiled vegetables (is fantastic with stewed potatoes) or as a base to coock meat of fish , or on bruschettas/toasted bread. Soon I will post some recipes using this sauce.

And of course you may easily multiply the quantities and preserve in jars for the winter!

The creamy sauce will be perfect on your next pasta specialty. Enjoy it!