Bright

We're using them up and wearing them out, our tomatoes. They are dwindling, though. On Saturday we made an impromptu sauce with a mountain of just ripened that had been hanging out on our windowsill. The addition of tomato paste and basil seemed to pull down the acidity leaving us with a finished sauce that was bright and sweet.

You'll need:

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup diced onion

2 cups peeled and diced tomato

1 tablespoon tomato paste

10-12 fresh basil leaves

Sauté the garlic, red pepper flakes and onion. Add in tomatoes and bring up to a simmer. Stir in the tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the sauce is at the consistency you're looking for turn off the heat and add in the basil. No chopping necessary, just tear and stir. While you can certainly have both the pasta and sauce cooking at the same time, if left to sit a little in the pan, excess water will evaporate leaving the flavors time to get to know each other, rendering the sauce more dense and sweet.