Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce

Step 1: Cut tomatoes in half horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds and discard, if you wish. Press the cut side of the tomato against the large holes of a box grater and grate tomato flesh into a bowl. Discard skins. You should have about 4 cups. OR Thaw frozen whole tomatoes. Skins will peel off easily when thawed. Step 2: Place tomatoes in Dutch Oven over high heat. Add salt, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, basil and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a brisk simmer. Step 3: Reduce sauce by almost half, stirring occasionally, to produce about 2-1/2 cups medium-thick sauce, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. It will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator or may be frozen.