Summer Tomato Sauce
The biggest difference between my summer tomato sauce and my “non-summer” tomato sauce is that I use only fresh tomatoes for my summer sauce, nothing canned. When tomato season rolls around I can’t get enough of those delicious homegrown tomatoes. One of my favorite weekend activities is going to the farmers market on Saturday morning, coming home with as many fresh tomatoes as my stroller can carry, and making a fresh pot of tomato sauce or a tub of refreshing gazpacho. Another difference with my summer sauce is that I don’t add any dry herbs to the sauce. I don’t even add fresh herbs to the sauce as I cook it, I only add the fresh herbs when serving the dish. This keeps the flavor very clean and light to me. 
Ingredients:
10-12 Very Ripe Large Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 Large Yellow Onion, finely chopped
6-9 Garlic Cloves, minced
~3 TBSP Olive Oil, divided
Salt
Directions:
(1) Put your chopped tomatoes in a pot or a saute pan. I prefer a saute pan if it fits all the tomatoes because if it’ll cook faster. Salt the tomatoes, about 1 tbsp, and cook at a medium heat for ~2 hours. Stir every 20-30 minutes. The tomatoes will release a lot of water. The longer you cook it the thicker your sauce will become. I like to keep this sauce somewhat chunky so I don’t puree it much (sometimes not at all), but if you prefer it smoother you can puree the tomatoes using an emulsion blender. [Note: when I double or triple this recipe to make a large pot and freeze some of the sauce it takes longer to cook. I end up cooking the tomatoes ~3-4 hours on medium heat before enough water evaporates to make the right consistency.]
(2) Meanwhile, saute your onion and garlic in a frying pan with about 2 tbsp olive oil and some salt. When the onion is cooked and translucent set it aside and wait until the tomatoes reach your desired consistency.
(3) Once the tomatoes are the prefect consistency add the sauteed onion and garlic to them. Salt to taste and mix until well combined. Add fresh herbs to the sauce or the dish when you serve it.
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