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1
To peel the tomatoes:
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2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
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3
Wash and core the tomatoes, then cut an X in the bottom of each so the skins loosen as they cook.
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4
Plunge the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds.
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5
Theyre ready to come out when the skins start to shrink split, and wrinkle; dont leave them in too long, or the tomatoes will start to cook.
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6
Youll probably have to do these in batches to avoid overcooking.
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7
Remove the tomatoes with a spider or strainer and immediately plunge them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
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8
Once the tomatoes have cooled down, pull the skins off with your fingers.
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9
To prepare the sauce:
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10
Cut the tomatoes in half widthwise.
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11
Squeeze out the seed, and juice and discard.
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12
(This step is crucial.
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13
The key is to bring the sauce to the right consistency as quickly as possible, to preserve the fresh, bright tomato flavor.
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14
The more liquid there is, the longer you have to cook the sauce, and the less fresh and tomato-y it will taste.)
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15
Roughly chop each tomato half into about 8 chunks-or if theyre ripe enough, you can just pull the tomato halves apart into chunks with your fingers.
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16
Place the chopped tomatoes in a large pot with a wide surface area.
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17
(If youre using the same pot you blanched the tomatoes in, be sure to cool it downyou want to start with a cold pot.)
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18
Top the tomatoes with the salt.
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19
The salt is absolutely integral to the recipe.
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20
It goes in at the beginning of the cooking process to help draw the moisture out of the tomatoes so it can evaporate.
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If you cut down the amount of salt, the sauce wont work.
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22
Turn the heat to medium and let the tomatoes cook down at a lazy bubble, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
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23
Thisll take 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, depending on season, ripeness, and the general quality of your tomatoes; 30 minutes for canned tomatoes.
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24
As the tomatoes cook, use a ladle to remove excess water.
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25
(The amount of excess could be anywhere from a cup to a quart, depending on how ripe the tomatoes are, but the sauce should be tomatoes and liquid, not tomatoes floating in liquid.)
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26
Smash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they cook so that the sauce gradually becomes smoother.
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27
To prepare the flavored oil:
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28
Cut the top off the garlic head so that the skin stays on but the tops of the cloves are exposed.
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29
Combine the garlic, olive oil, basil leaves, and red pepper flakes in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
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30
As soon as you hear the basil leaves crack (the sound is almost exactly like adding milk to Rice Krispies), take the mixture off the heat and reserve.
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31
To finish the sauce:
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32
When the sauce is reduced by half to two thirds and is thick but still bright red, strain the oil into the pot and stir to combine.
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33
Cook the sauce for about 10 more minutes at a lazy bubble.
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34
Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking.
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35
When the oil and tomatoes have completely emulsified and the sauce look whole, turn off the heat and stir it up a bit in the pot with a masher or a hand blender set on low.
