As I’ve mentioned many times in this blog, I live in the woods, which means I’m very limited when it comes to growing vegetables, especially tomatoes, a particular favorite of mine. However, a few years ago, I inadvertently came across a variety—Juliet—that actually does pretty well in my partly shaded backyard. This variety produces small fruit and is considered to be a “saladette,” but it is much like a plum tomato, perfect for sauces as well as for salads. This year, with its abundant sunshine, brought me more tomatoes than I could eat by myself. 

My husband, Clif, for some inexplicable reason, does not like raw tomatoes. Silly man! But fortunately he likes them cooked, and I knew that some kind of sauce was in our future. I’ve sizzled fresh tomatoes in a fry pan with a bit of garlic, basil, and olive oil, and this makes a perfectly good topping for pasta. However, this year, I was in the mood for something saucier, and when I read how Ali, at Henboggle, had roasted her tomatoes for a sauce, I knew that’s what I wanted to do as well. 

Strangely enough, even though I’m a big fan of roasted vegetables, I had never roasted tomatoes before. I wanted a simple sauce that involved roasting, blending, and simmering, and I found a recipe at Epicurious that looked promising. 

This particular recipe called for two pounds of tomatoes, which I had. (In fact there are even a few left to go with salads.) Roasting them couldn’t have been easier. I washed and dried the tomatoes, cut them in half, tossed them with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, then set them cut side up on a greased cookie sheet. I sprinkled the tomatoes with a bit of coarse salt and a tablespoon of oregano leaves, which grow well in a pot in my backyard. It even winters over. Into the oven went the tomatoes, at 375°F, for about an hour. Oh, the smell as they cooked. It was wonderful. 

The taste was even better, and after I whirred the tomatoes in the food processor, I was reluctant to add the ¼ cup of tomato paste suggested in the recipe. Why muck with perfection? However, I did add the paste, along with two cloves of garlic and a little more olive oil, all of which I simmered in a big fry pan on the stove for a half hour or so. It turned out my instincts were right. The paste made the sauce too thick for pasta (but perfect for pizza). I had to add about ¼ cup of pasta water so that the sauce would be right for pasta. Another change I would make would be to chop the oregano leaves before sprinkling them on the tomatoes before they are roasted. 

Nevertheless, this is one of the best pasta sauces I have ever made or even tasted—smooth, tangy, perfectly spiced. It is good enough to warrant actually buying fresh tomatoes—expensive though they might be—to make this sauce. That is what I intend to do, once a week or so, while tomatoes are in season. But unless I plan on making a sauce for pizza, I will hold the paste and chop the oregano, and savor this simple sauce while fresh tomatoes are in abundance. 

Here is my revised recipe: 

Roasted Tomato Sauce 

2lbs of tomatoes, washed, dried, and cut in half
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Coarse salt for sprinkling
1 tablespoon of oregano leaves, chopped 

In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and then place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and oregano and roast at 375°F, for about an hour. (Check at 45 minutes.)

The tomatoes are done when they are soft and slightly brown. Take them out and let them cool. Then, in either a blender or food processor, purée them until they are smooth. 

Next, chop 2 cloves of garlic, and in a big fry pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Sizzle the garlic for about 30 seconds and add the puréed tomatoes. Let simmer for 30 minutes or more, so that everything is nicely blended. If the sauce still seems too thick, a little pasta water can be added. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! You can only get this kind of sauce once a year, when the tomatoes are fresh. 

If you want to use this as a pizza sauce, then add ¼ cup of tomato paste to the fry pan with the puréed tomatoes. I expect basil or thyme could be substituted if you don’t have oregano. Add a little cooked shrimp to the sauce, and you have a meal elegant enough for even the most discerning guest.