Ingredients

  • 5 lbs tomatoes
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 clove garlic, halved
  • 1 sprig fresh basil
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Cut tomatoes in half horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds and discard, if you wish. Press the cut side of tomato against the large holes of a box grater and grate tomato flesh into a bowl. Discard skins. You should have about 4 cups.
  2. Put tomato pulp in a low wide saucepan over high heat. Add salt, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, basil and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a brisk simmer.
  3. Reduce the sauce by almost half, stirring occasionally, to produce about 2 1/2 cups medium-thick sauce, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. It will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator or may be frozen.