Roma Tomato and White Wine Pasta Sauce

You asked for it, you got it! K and I love to make Italian food. This love probably comes from the fact that we are both half Italian. K is a pro at making delicious homemade pasta and I happen to love making sauces. This sauce in particular is one of my favorites. Store bought sauces tend to be over flavored which over powers your senses and your taste buds. This sauce is beautifully pure and incredibly simple. You taste the freshness of the tomatoes, the richness of the white wine (no worries, the alcohol is burned out) with the touches of fresh garlic and basil. I found this sauce in my Williams-Sonoma Italian Favorites recipe book. I made a few changes to the recipe but not many.

Here's the recipe:

6 Tbls EVOO
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 C White cooking wine
10 Roma tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1 Tsp. Basil

Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. On one side of the tomato you are going to take out the small pit (where the stem was). On the other side you are going to make a small X with your knife.

Once the water is boiling, add five tomatoes to the pot. Boil until you see the skin start to peel off. This can take 30 seconds to a minute. Once the skin starts peeling off, put the tomatoes into the bowl of ice cold water. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.

Peel the skins off of the tomatoes and places the skinned tomatoes on a cutting board. The skins should come off very easily.

Here's the final result. The tomatoes are peeled and ready to be chopped.

Chop the tomatoes and place in a large bowl. I chop my tomatoes into pretty large chucks. Also, chop your garlic and put in a smaller bowl.

Empty out your large pot of water, dry off and add the olive oil. Heat your olive oil at medium-high heat. Once your oil is hot, quickly lower your heat and add the garlic. You do not want your garlic to cook too fast, so have it cook in the oil at a low temperature. You want it to simmer in there until it becomes a golden brown as seen below.

Once your garlic is ready, add the white wine and raise your heat to high. Be careful!! The oil could splash up and burn your skin! Cook until the wine evaporates which should be a good 3-5 minutes.

Once the alcohol burns off, add your tomato chunks, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Let your sauce cook uncovered, stirring ofter, until it thickens. Do a taste test. Does it need more salt, pepper, or basil? Be careful not to add to much but a little at a time. Once your tomatoes are soft you can turn you heat down to low and let it simmer until you are ready to eat. Don't forget to stir occasionally.

The final result is amazing. Sometimes right before I serve it I will add a couple leaves of fresh basil. You don't have to but if you have some lying around might as well! Serve with any type of pasta you want.

I have been asked so many times for the recipe and finally found time to blog about it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Enjoy!