It’s near
the end of tomato growing season here in Wisconsin and the garden is producing
more ripe tomatoes than we can eat. Why
not make a classic Italian tomato sauce – Pomarola – that exemplifies the simplicity,
freshness, and essence of Italian cuisine?
Ingredients
- About 5 pounds of tomatoes, ripe and straight from the vine.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 2-3 carrots
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- Fresh basil leaves
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Dice the onion, carrots and celery.
Add enough extra
virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of a heated pot.
Add the onion,
carrots and celery, collectively known as a battuto in Italian, to the pot and saute over
medium-low heat. Add the crushed garlic and continue to saute until
the mixture, now a soffritto, is softened. Ensure that the garlic does not burn.
Meanwhile, wash
and dry the tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half crosswise and deseed by giving
each half a quick squeeze over a bowl. Roughly slice each half into 4-6 pieces.
Slice the
fresh basil into thin ribbons.
Add the
deseeded tomatoes and basil to the pot with the soffritto. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer until the tomatoes become soft and break
down, approximately 45 minutes.
Allow the
tomato mixture to slightly cool and then pass through a food mill using the
finest plate. This will remove the tomato skins and any remaining seeds, as well as
pureeing the onion, carrots and celery.
If the pomorola is too thin, it can be thickened by reducing over high heat. Adjust seasoning, if required, and the pomarola is now ready to dress your favorite pasta. Buon appetito.
Note: If you do not have access to a food mill, you can skin and completely deseed the tomatoes prior to their addition to the soffritto. This can produce a rustic textured sauce that may be desirable with certain pasta shapes. If a consistancy similar to that produced by the food mill is desired, you can process the chunky sauce with a food processor or immersion blender.
