Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe

I first met Ethan Stowell in Aspen at the "Classic". He was being honored as one of the Best New Chefs by Food and Wine Magazine. Since then he has opened like a billion new restaurants and has a fabulous cookbook. Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen is about his philosophy of cooking. It happens that he focuses on Italian cooking using both very Italian and very local ingredients. Nothing fancy really, simple family style dishes. He says that he went from restaurant to restaurant, taking what he had in the kitchen and made dishes. That's what's in his book. A good one worth having.

  
(excerpt intro) : If you master any one recipe in this book, this should be it. ...... it's also an indispensable component in dishes from basic ragus to Maloreddus with Squid ......... the fun of making your own sauce is squishing the whole tomatoes ...

directions:
1. Put the tomatoes in a deep bowl and crush them with your fingers. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic until tender but not browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil leaves. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Use an immersion blender, if you have one, or pulse in a food processor to create a rough purée with some texture. The sauce keeps, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days and freezes well.

makes 6 to 7 cups