FRESH SPAGHETTI SAUCE FROM PENZYS

Ingredients:

 1 lb. fresh garden tomatoes
1/4 Cup finely minced onion (1/2 small onion)
1/3 Cup olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1-2 T. basil
½ -1 tsp. sugar (optional, depends on how sweet your tomatoes are)
½ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp roasted garlic

Directions:

 Skin the fresh tomatoes by bringing a small pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.

Cut an x into the blossom end of the tomato and using tongs, place each into the boiling water for about 10 seconds, then into a bowl of ice water. The skins will slide right off. Core the tomatoes and squeeze out the liquid and seeds. You could discard this, but it is much healthier (and delicious, with a bit of salt!) to drink it.

Chop the tomatoes finely, and marinate with the finely minced onion in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar while you cook the pasta and roast the pepper. Letting the tomatoes soak in the olive oil for half an hour removes what is left of the the raw/acidic flavor. Squeezing out the seeds and juice does most of the work for you there!  After half an hour, add basil, salt, pepper and garlic. Taste and add sugar as desired.

Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain and toss with olive oil while hot. Crumble on basil and add roasted garlic. Toss and place in a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

To serve, divide the pasta among 4 plates. Top each serving with fresh tomato sauce. If there is a lot of liquid coming off the fresh tomatoes, use a slotted spoon to place the tomato sauce on the middle of the pasta. Drizzle some of the juice over the rest of the pasta. SO GOOD.

Prep time: 30 minutes (including roasting the bell peppers)
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes for pasta, 30 minutes marinating time

Nutritional Information

Servings 4; Serving Size 1 1/4 cups pasta with 1/3 cup sauce (246g); Calories 430; Calories from fat 200; Total fat 22g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 10mg; Carbohydrate 52g; Dietary Fiber 5g; Sugars 9g; Protein 9g.