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Tomato Sauce 2 Ways

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Ingredients

Pomodoro Sauce

  • 2 pounds plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, blanched and peeled (canned may be used in a pinch)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 2 fresh plum tomatoes, diced
  • 20 fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade (set aside pinch for garnish)
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

  • 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half through stem end
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • Pinch of cracked black pepper

Method

  1. Add slow-roasted tomatoes to pomodoro sauce in a large pot, and set over medium heat.
  2. Stir occasionally, until warmed through.

Serve with meatballs, garnishing with dollops of ricotta cheese, basil and parmesan cheese. If desired, serve with toasted or grilled bread.

Pomodoro Sauce ​

  1. Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to bowl. Using clean hands, crush the tomatoes, retaining some chunks.
  2. In a 4-quart pot, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic, and cook until it starts to brown. Add onion, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until onions are translucent and begin to caramelize.
  3. Add diced fresh tomato, stirring to incorporate, then add crushed, peeled tomatoes and water.
  4. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently to prevent bottom from burning. Simmer for about 12 minutes.
  5. Remove sauce from heat and let come to room temperature, then add basil, salt and sugar, and stir to incorporate.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 200°F.

  1. Place tomatoes in large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients, and toss to coat.
  2. Place a draining grate or roasting rack on a sheet pan and pour tomatoes on grate and disperse evenly.
  3. Put tomatoes in oven and cook for about 3 hours. Tomatoes should be slightly dry on outside, but juicy in the center. Remove tomatoes from oven and let cool

To Serve

  1. Add slow-roasted tomatoes to pomodoro sauce in a large pot, and set over medium heat.
  2. Stir occasionally, until warmed through.

Serve with meatballs, garnishing with dollops of ricotta cheese, basil and parmesan cheese. If desired, serve with toasted or grilled bread.

Fresh, seasonal tomatoes, a cornerstone of Italian cuisine for at least four centuries, are omnipresent on the menus at Cosimo’s. Owner Nick Citera raves about the products from Hudson Valley tomato growers, stressing his chefs’ strong relationships with local growers. “Continental Organics— they’ve said if there’s anything we want, they’ll grow it for us,” Citera notes, adding, “Hepworth Farms in Milton has some of the finest heirloom grape and cherry tomatoes in the country.” For his simple pomodoro sauce nothing but San Marzano tomatoes will do. At Cosimo’s Trattoria in Poughkeepsie, culinary supervisor Matthew Sherry and executive chef Jason Kooperman start with meatballs made with Hudson Valley Cattle Company beef, steep them in pomodoro fortified with slow-roasted tomatoes and finish the dish with dollops of ricotta.

Matthew Sherry, Jason Kooperman

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is back this April 8-21!