Heidi's Homemade Tomato Sauce
Use locally sourced or canned organic tomatoes to make your own tomato sauce from scratch!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil I like Olive Crate Kores Estate
- 4-5 cups assorted locally grown cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. dried oregano leaves My go-to here is, again, from Olive Crate
- 5-6 leaves Fresh picked basil from your kitchen garden or the Farmers Market
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 (2 inch piece) of the rind of aged Italian Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.
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Add the dried oregano and the whole or halved cherry tomatoes
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Allow the tomatoes to cook over medium heat. They will gradually cook down all by themselves. Stir the mix occasionally.
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Add the slice of Parmesan cheese rind. Just drop it in the pot. it won't fully melt but it will add a fabulous layer of flavor and your probably won't have to add any additional salt.
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The longer the tomatoes cook, the saucier the mix will get. You will not need to any additional liquid.
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When the tomatoes have cooked down to your liking. Remove the Parmesan rind and add the fresh basil. Use as you would like.
Recipe Notes
Just a few where-to shop notes. For the Kores Estate EVOO and the Dried Greek Oregano, go to the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on Saturdays and you'll find the Olive Crate in Building 2. Or, visit OliveCrate.com. Use the code SHIPFREEOC, and enjoy Free shipping with every purchase.
Local cheeses are available at several area farmers markets. And, at local cheese shops in Charlotte my go-to's are Orrmans Cheese Shop at 7th Street Station and The Loyalist in Matthews. You can also find a very nice selection of local cheese in the cheese department at the SouthPark area Whole Foods.
If you are using your tomato sauce to make Heidi Billotto's Grilled Eggplant Parmesan, remember...To keep the eggplant crispy, you'll get the best results with an aged cheese rather than a fresh or soft cheese.