Published March 1, 2007.
For a great fresh tomato sauce recipe with out-of-season fresh tomatoes, we turned to roasting, which caramelized natural sugars in the tomatoes, intensified flavor, and added a light touch of smokiness to our sauce. Keeping the seeds in the roasted tomatoes added needed moisture to our sauce, and tossing them with tomato paste gave our sauce a deep red color and more flavor.
This sauce is best with short pasta shapes, such as ziti or penne. It can also be served over chicken Parmesan or grilled fish. If serving this sauce with pasta, save some of the pasta cooking water to adjust the sauce's consistency. Plum tomatoes can be used, but the sauce may require even more pasta cooking water. Because fresh tomatoes vary in sweetness, it's best to add sugar to taste before serving. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days; bring to a simmer before using.
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