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Roasted Tomato Sauce

Total Time2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds ripe tomatoes
  • 4 tablespoons good olive oil + more for tomato roasting purposes
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions minced
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
  • Red pepper flakes to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 oz. tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine + a splash to deglaze
  • Parmesan cheese rind - a couple of inches will do optional but recommended
  • Fresh basil optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Slice the tomatoes in half through their middles; you want the stems and ends to stick up
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and coat it thinly with olive oil and then sprinkle it lightly with salt
  • Place the tomatoes cut side down on the paper and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they begin to brown and the skins start peeling away from the flesh
  • Sit tomatoes aside to cool slightly while you start your sauce
  • In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan or Dutch oven, over medium, heat up the butter and oil until they stop foaming
  • Add the onion to the pan, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook until they are soft and translucent
  • Add the garlic and red pepper
  • Peel the tomatoes (I do this as I go) and add the flesh and juice to the pot, discarding the skins
  • Add the soy sauce and oregano, allow to come to a low simmer
  • In a small pan or skillet (for surface area) heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil and to this add the tomato paste
  • Stir the paste in the olive oil so that it doesn't scorch, but don't worry if it sticks a little; the color will darken slightly
  • Once the paste has started to darken, add the 1/2 cup of red wine and continue stirring; reducing the mixture until it thickens back up
  • Add the paste/wine combination to the sauce base and if needed, throw a splash more of wine into the paste pan to deglaze so that no caramelized sticky bits are left behind
  • Add the Parmesan rind and fresh basil to the sauce
  • Turn your heat low enough to keep the sauce at a low simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally to keep the Parmesan from sticking; the longer you simmer the more the flavors will richen and develop

Notes

If you don't have fresh garden tomatoes and the store bought option is looking too sad for words, simply grab two 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes and crush them gently with a potato masher - or use your fingers because that's fun too.
For the wine, I use an Italian Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. If you wish to substitute for the wine, you can certainly use good stock to deglaze your pan and add a splash of good balsamic or red wine vinegar for the acidity.