Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is so versatile. For me, this tomato sauce is like a toy. Easy to play with, can be mild or spicy depending on my humor and can be served with pasta and meat. I cannot ask for better!

Last week, I felt like I had to try to make a marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. I adapted my recipe from the one on Epicurean. As soon as I tasted for the first time my sauce, I immediately saw the difference between using fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes. My sauce did not have the taste of tomatoes that were canned in too much salt for who knows how long. It instead had the fresh taste of tomatoes with a perfect balance between sweetness and saltiness!

I believe the success of my sauce is because I used sun-dried tomatoes instead of sugar. They hid the acidity of the tomatoes and they sweetened and increased the tomato flavor of the sauce.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic gloves, minced
4 cups tomatoes; peeled, seeded, diced (about 5 large tomatoes)
150 mL unsalted tomato paste
125 mL sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
15 mL fresh basil
15 mL fresh oregano
salt to taste

Instructions
1. Add oil in a saucepan.
2. Add the shallot and cook until tender.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, the sun-dried tomatoes, the tomato paste, the fresh oregano, the fresh basil and the salt.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are very tender; stir occasionally.
7. Let cool.
8. Place 1 cup at a time in a food processor and puree for about 30 seconds after each addition.
9. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over low heat.

Makes about 3 cups of marinara sauce.