Author: Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com
Ingredients
3medium garlic cloves
2medium onions
1large carrot
¼cupolive oil
1cupVermouth
2lbs.fresh tomatoes
1bouquet garni of fresh herbsbasil, oregano, parsley, thyme, etc
½tspsalt
¼tspred pepper flakes
Fresh basil leavesoptional
Instructions
Chopped the onion, garlic and carrot finely or pulse three to four times in a processor.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium low heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cooking over low heat until the vegetables start to soften (about 4 minutes).
Add the vermouth, increase the heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid is almost gone (about 15 minutes).
While the vermouth is reducing, prepare your tomatoes. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato and put them in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes to cover. Let sit for one minute and drain. Peel the tomatoes, cut them in half and remove the seeds. Chop the tomatoes coarsely or pulse once or twice in a processor.
Add the tomatoes and the bouquet garni to the vegetables. Simmer until thickened (45 minutes to 1 hour)
If you like you can add a couple of handfuls of chopped fresh basil leaves to the sauce right before serving.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can use a 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes. 1 tsp dried basil and ½ tsp dried oregano can be a substituted for the bouquet garni. Recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed.