Fresh Tomato Sauce with Fennel and Orange

Name: Fresh Tomato Sauce with Fennel and Orange
Yield: Serves 4 to 6 (Makes enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta)
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil, divided; 1 medium bulb, fennel, trimmed of stalks, halved, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/2 cups); 2 medium cloves, garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons); 1/2 teaspoon, fennel seed, lightly crushed; Pinch, saffron, crushed (optional); 1/8 teaspoon, hot red pepper flakes; 2 strips, orange peel (each 3 by 1 inch); 3 tablespoons, fresh squeezed orange juice from 1 orange; 3 pounds, ripe round tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 3/4 cups); 3 tablespoons, chopped fresh basil; 1/4 teaspoon, table salt; 1/8 teaspoon, ground black pepper

Pasta
Vegan
Gluten Free
Vegetarian
Sauces

Appears in Cook's Illustrated September/October 2006

How do you make a sauce that does justice to the robust flavor of seasonal tomatoes?

SERVES 4 to 6 (Makes enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta)

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Fennel and Orange

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