Homemade Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is italian sauce that usually consists of tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. I like to add a hint of rosemary in my marinara sauce (which I put in at the beginning of cooking and discard at the end of cooking) and basil which of course is a natural match for tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 large ripe beef tomatoes

1 can (100 gr) tomato paste

1 large onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 stalk of rosemary

1 small bunch of basil
21/2 cups water

Salt and pepper

How to:

Prepare some ice water in a bowl (an "ice water bath" - this will be used later). Boil some water in a medium sized pot. Wash the tomatoes and cut an "X" on the bottom of the tomatoes (not the stem side), add them to the pot while taking care not to crowd the pot (you can do it in batches, if necessary). Let the water boil for 30-35 seconds until the skin splits, then plunge the tomatoes straight into the ice water bath. The skin can then be easily removed. Remove the seeds and chop the tomatoes.

Saute onions, garlic and rosemary with the olive oil until translucent, season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and water, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the tomatoes become soft and the sauce thickens (usually takes about an hour). Remove and discard the rosemary. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. At the end, add the basil.  If you like the sauce to be chunky then your sauce is ready to use now. If you like it smoother, blitz it with your hand held blender until you achieve the consistency you like.