Tomato Fresco Sauce

Hi all,

I'm a terrible blogger and haven't been updating at all. I know, it's bad. It's been so hot that I haven't felt like cooking so much. Then I realized that I could make something that's really fresh, and I wouldn't have that feeling, and thus a recipe was born.

We'll start with fresh tomato, fresh basil, garlic (not pictured), white wine, and pasta. That simple.

I love cooking with white wine when it's hot. Just very refreshing, and pulls this sauce together.

So, you'll want to use a serrated knife to dice the tomatoes. You could also just buy canned diced tomatoes, but I'm a glutton for punishment, and freshness.

Then gather your basil, making a basil "cigar" and slice the cigar to julienne the herbs.

Finally, dice some garlic. You'll have red, white and green on the board, like an Italian flag.

Now, heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic for about a minute or two.

You know, just until the whole room smells delicious. Then add in the tomatoes, some salt and pepper (and some red pepper flakes, if you're in to that) and let it simmer over medium heat for a few minutes. The tomatoes should start to let out their juice.

Add in about half the basil and then put in about a half cup of white wine. Let reduce over low heat for about 10 minutes.

You should have been cooking some pasta during this, and so when that's al dente drain it and toss the pasta with the sauce and a large handful of Parmesan.

I added some sausage to make it just that much better. It was really good and light. A perfect dinner for a hot day. The tomatoes are juicy and sweet, and the basil and garlic complement that beautifully. The wine rounds out the flavor and adds just a little bit of acidity. Just make sure you season it all really well so to balance all of that out with a little heat and saltiness. The Parmesan is really a must. No choice.

I'll write up a recipe in a little bit to post.