Try this Tomato Sauce with Orange and Basil recipe with your favorite pasta for a great main dish meal.
The appeal of this sauce lay in its freshness, simplicity, and secret ingredient—orange peel. Michael serves it over fish, meat, or vegetables, as well as angel-hair pasta.
Tomato Sauce with Orange and Basil Recipe
• 2 pounds Italian plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fruity olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons grated orange peel—colored part only
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Sauté garlic in olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and onion and sauté until soft and tender.
2. Add tomatoes, cover, and simmer (do not boil) for 20 minutes. Uncover, add orange peel and basil, and simmer another 20 minutes.
3. At this point, sauce can be processed through a food mill for a smooth, creamy texture or left as is for a more robust sauce. In either case, cook another 10 or 15 minutes until sauce is thickened, adding salt and pepper.
— Michael Taylor
Cincinnati, Ohio
Check out more delicious spaghetti sauce recipes here: The Great Spaghetti Sauce Cookoff recipes.