Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

I really enjoyed this recipe. It is defintely a keeper and one that I will experiment with. I used plum (Roma) tomatoes from my garden and used a technique from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook that said to cut a shallow X into the flowering end of each tomatoe, place in boiling water for 20 seconds and then immediately dip them into ice cold water. The skins came right off! The modifications I made to this recipe was to use 3 small to medium sized onions, doubled the garlic (8 cloves), and added two jalapenos (one seeded, one not) for some heat. Everything else I kept as is. My friend, with whom I shared this, said it was really delicious. Thanks for posting.

In late summer when the tomatoes are plentiful and ripe on the vine, this fresh sauce is a staple at my house. The family loves it, and guests rave. You can't go wrong on this one. Thanks UPDATE: Incredibly delicious and simple. Vine ripened tomatoes make the sauce spectacular. A definite crowd pleaser. I have substituted fresh rosemary for the basil. Yummy.

This was great and will probably also make a great base for tomato soup as well. First, for those who found it too thin, make sure 1) you're simmering it UNCOVERED and 2) to try pureeing it. I used an immersion blender which made this super easy and fast. I also added fresh oregano b/c I had it. Lastly, you can easily can/freeze this and pull it out to make a quick tomato soup: add a little chicken broth and if you like a 'bisque', some cream, half and half or whole milk.

An easy method of removing tomato skins that I learned from another recipe is to cut tomatoes in half, horizontally, and then take a box grater and, using the large hole side, grate the tomatoes until you are down to the skin. No blanching, no using a food mill. Skins do add bitterness and texture that most don't like. I used a combo of pink brandywine and Cherokee Purps cause that's what I have in abundance. I did not add sugar, as these are pretty sweet tomatoes and they were overripe ones. I like the simplicity of this recipe. I've made better ones, involving processing tomatoes three different ways, but it's just too much work.

has anyone ever left the skin on and just pureed before cooking?