ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE


An interesting way to deepen the tomato flavor of a simple sauce is
to roast the tomatoes first. We often cook the tomatoes in the wood-
burning pizza oven during the less hectic hours between lunch and 
dinner service. Roasted tomato purée can be made into sauce, as follows, 
or added to sautés, soups, and sauces for other dishes.

  2 pounds ripe tomatoes          1 bay leaf
  1/4 cup olive oil               1 sprig thyme
  1 large yellow onion            i small bunch basil
  1 medium leek                     (about ¼ pound)
  1 small carrot                  Salt and pepper
  1 head garlic

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Cut out a cone at the stem end of the tomatoes to remove the core,
and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Toss with half the olive oil. 

Put the tomatoes in a baking dish and roast them, uncovered, for 30 minutes,
stirring a couple of times to encourage even cooking. 
The tomatoes are cooked when the flesh is very soft and the skin separates 
easily from the flesh.

Peel and slice the onion. Trim, wash, and dice the leek. 
Peel and dice the carrot. Cut the head of garlic in half horizontally.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a stainless steel or other nonreactive
pot (aluminum reacts with the acid in tomatoes and spoils the flavor).

Add the vegetables and the garlic and cook the vegetables over medium
heat until completely soft, about 10 minutes. 

Add the roasted tomatoes and the herbs. 
Simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the flavors come together, 
for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Pass the sauce through a food mill and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Makes about 1 quart.