Fresh Summer Tomato Sauce
This is a raw-style sauce that ignores the long, heavy simmers of winter ragus. It captures the fleeting weeks when tomatoes are warm from the sun and need almost nothing to become a meal.
Wait for the fruit to soften.
Use the ripest tomatoes you can find; if they feel firm or hollow, the sauce will lack depth. Do not peel or seed them, as the texture of the summer sauce depends on the rustic bits of skin.
- Wide stainless steel skillet
- Sharp serrated knife
- Wooden spoon
What goes in.
- 3 lbripe heirloom or vine tomatoes, roughly chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 cupextra virgin olive oil
- 4 clovesgarlic, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunchfresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 tspflaky sea salt
Stop before it reduces
Your goal is to emulsify the olive oil with the tomato juices, not to evaporate them. Once the tomatoes collapse into a textured slurry, pull the pan from the heat immediately.
The method.
Bloom the aromatics
Place the olive oil and sliced garlic in a cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the garlic edges turn pale gold, about two minutes.
Add the harvest
Add all the chopped tomatoes and the salt to the pan. Increase heat to medium.
Cook briefly
Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes have slumped and released their liquid, about 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce should be loose and glossy, not a paste.
Finish
Remove the pan from the stove. Toss in the torn basil leaves and give it one final stir to incorporate. Serve immediately over warm pasta.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Calabrian
Add a teaspoon of crushed chili paste to the oil alongside the garlic.
Anchovy Base
Dissolve two oil-packed anchovy fillets into the olive oil before adding the garlic for a deeper, salty backbone.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Keep the chunks irregular; smaller pieces melt into the sauce while larger ones provide texture.
If your tomatoes are especially watery, use a slotted spoon to drain some of the juice before adding them to the pan.
Use a wide pan rather than a deep pot to ensure more surface area for evaporation.
The ones that keep coming up.
Should I peel the tomatoes?
No. The skins provide structure to this light sauce and contain much of the flavor.
Can I store this for later?
This sauce is designed to be eaten within an hour of cooking. Its brightness fades if kept in the refrigerator.
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