Basic Tomato Sauce

Name: Basic Tomato Sauce
Yield: makes about 2 quarts
Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large Spanish onion, finely diced (about 2 cups); 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; Half of a medium carrot, peeled and shredded in a food processor or on a box grater; 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves; 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled plum tomatoes, including their juices (preferably San Marzano)

January 26, 2012

Like the name suggests, this is a basic tomato sauce that we use in a variety of dishes. You can keep it in the freezer for up to six months, so you may want to double the recipe and freeze the extra. The only “secret” to this sauce is that you start with good canned tomatoes. Our preference, hands down, is San Marzano, a variety of plum tomatoes from Campania praised for its tart flavor and bright red color.

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