Fresh Tomato Sauce

Don't you love the abundance of fresh tomatoes around? We have not grown a single thing but we've still managed to procure bags of fresh picked garden tomatoes. Wonderful. But then you have to figure out how to use all those tomatoes, I mean, you can only eat so many BLTs. This marinara with fresh tomatoes tastes like summer. It's fairly quick and a great way to feast on all that garden tomato goodness.


Marinara Sauce
(from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen)

1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled
3 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and lightly crushed, with their liquid (you can also use one 35-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes)
salt
Crushed hot red pepper
10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Heat the oil in a 2-3 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Whack the garlic with the flat side of a knife, add it to the oil, and cook until ightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Carefully slide the tomatoes and their liquid into the oil. Bring to a boil and season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer and cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a whisk or spoon, until the sauce is chunky and thick, about 20 minutes. Stir int he basil about 5 minutes before the sauce is finished. Taste the sauce and season with salt and red pepper if necessary.