Tomato Basil Sauce
This is the standard fresh tomato sauce we use at Angeli. Using a food mill to puree the sauce saves you the time of peeling and seeding the tomatoes and results in a deeper-tasting sauce. During the height of summer, we reduce every conceivable variety of tomato to sauce using this recipe. Cherokee Purples or other “black” tomatoes make a particularly vivid red sauce that can be used for fish or chicken as well as pasta or in risotto.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes. When garlic gives off its aroma and becomes opaque, add tomatoes. Cook over medium-high heat until tomatoes begin to give off their juice and thicken. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to stir and help break up tomato pulp. Add basil, either whole or roughly chopped, and salt to taste. Cook until sauce thickens just enough to coat pasta, 10 to 15 minutes.
When sauce is done, remove it from heat and puree it through a food mill using medium disk. This will remove skins and seeds and create a rough puree without adding air.
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