Dom's Marinara Sauce and Pesto
net.cooks/Turek (1982)

These recipes are from a cooking course given by Dom's, a now-defunct Northern Italian restaurant in Boston.

1. Marinara Sauce

The original recipe calls for peeling the tomatoes, but I don't usually bother. To peel tomatoes, dip them in boiling water for about 20 seconds, then dip them in cold water and just peel off the skin with your fingers.)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups fresh tomatoes (peel if desired, cut in half, squeeze out the seeds and juice, and coarsely chop)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
optional other herbs, such as thyme or oregano

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil to color them slightly; don't let them brown too much. Discard garlic. Add tomatoes and herbs. Simmer for 12 minutes, covered for the first half and uncovered for the second half. Use a wide frying pan so the tomatoes cook in a shallow layer.

That's it. This is a very fresh-tasting sauce and a very good thing to do to ripe tomatoes.

2. Pesto

This sauce requires fresh basil. The best way to get it is to grow it yourself; it needs lots of sun, but will grow in large pots. Lately it's been turning up in the markets, but the packages are never big enough for this recipe. It also needs a blender. I'm sure it originally was made by hand with a morter and pestle, but I certainly don't want to try it.)

2 cups fresh basil, or half basil and half parsley (I prefer the latter, actually; all basil is quite strong)
1 teaspoon sale
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup olive oil (could get by with less)
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano (best to grate real cheese, rather than using the "processed cheese food" stuff)

Combine all the ingredients except the cheese in a blender and blend until you have a smooth paste. Stir in the cheese and serve over hot pasta.