Quickest Cherry Tomato Sauce

Quickest Cherry Tomato Sauce

Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • About 8-12 cups cups of assorted cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 4-5 small perfectly ripe (even overripe) plum tomatoes sliced in thick rounds
  • cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic smashed and chopped finely, do this with a knife (a garlic press or microplane is too fine)
  • 1-2 long fresh red chilis sliced in thin rounds
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Plenty of fresh medium-coarse ground pepper
  • Handful of basil leaves, torn

Instructions
 

  • Over med high heat, heat the oil in a large sauté pan until shimmering but not smoking.
  • Add the garlic and stir so that it does not burn, allow it to start to turn golden colour, about 1 minute or so. 
  • Add the sliced chili peppers to the pan with the cut tomatoes, turn the heat to high, and cook, tossing every minute or so until the tomatoes have broken down, released their juices and have mostly evaporated.  You should have a thick sauce but you will still have many tomatoes that have held their shape.  It will take 10-15 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off, add salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning.
  • Add the basil, stir.  You can use the sauce right away, let it sit all day on the stovetop, refrigerate overnight, or freeze.