Basic Tomato Sauce

Name: Basic Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 4 cups (950 ml)
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 12 ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 5 pounds), peeled; or 10 cups canned San Marzano Tomato; 1 heaping tsp sea salt or kosher salt (5 ml) Salt; 1 head garlic, for the flavored oil Garlic; 1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil (300 ml) Olive Oil; 1 packed cup basil leaves, with stems on (240 ml) Basil; 1 tsp red pepper flakes (5 ml) Chile Flake

Independent adaptation of a publicly published Andrew Carmellini recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Andrew Carmellini.

Basic Tomato from a starred kitchen & national award winner.

Ratio

Salt 5 mlOlive Oil 300 mlBasil 240 mlChile Flake 5 ml

Ingredients

Tomato — 12 ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 5 pounds), peeled; or 10 cups canned San Marzano
Salt — 1 heaping tsp sea salt or kosher salt (5 ml)
Garlic — 1 head garlic, for the flavored oil
Olive Oil — 1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil (300 ml)
Basil — 1 packed cup basil leaves, with stems on (240 ml)
Chile Flake — 1 tsp red pepper flakes (5 ml)

Method

This sauce is cooked on the stove — the jar is for storing it, not making it.
Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

Provenance

Andrew Carmellini works in Italian-American / New American at A Voce; credentials include James Beard Rising Star Chef 2000; James Beard Best Chef: New York City 2005.

Adapted from a Andrew Carmellini recipe (Andrew Carmellini / CBS The Dish (grandmother's ravioli)).

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No — this one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces.

What do the quantities mean?

Amounts follow the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, every sauce scales to the same fill height.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from Andrew Carmellini / CBS The Dish (grandmother's ravioli) (published as “Basic Tomato Sauce”). Full citation lives in Provenance.