Recipe: Deborah Madison's Fresh Tomato Sauce

DEBORAH MADISON'S FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, quartered
3 tablespoons chopped basil or
1 tablespoon chopped marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or butter

Put tomatoes in heavy pan with basil or marjoram. Cover and cook over medium-high heat. Tomatoes should yield juices right away, but keep an eye on the pot to make sure the pan isn't dry. (You don't want tomatoes to scorch.)

When tomatoes have broken down after about 15-25 minutes, pass them through a food mill. If you want sauce to be thicker, return it to pot and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it is as thick as you want, about 20 minutes to an hour.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in oil or butter.

TO FREEZE:
Pour about 2 cups cooled sauce into a freezer bag, zip it shut and place on bottom of freezer until sauce hardens. Then it can be stored, vertically, like an envelope in the freezer.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups or 5 servings
Source: Baltimore Sun, August 28, 2008