This Raw Sauce With Garlic and Basil is a delicious way to use those summer tomatoes. It has bright fresh flavor and is perfectly pared with spaghetti.
I can remember as a kid my father tending to his prized garden tomatoes. He would come home everyday from work and go to his garden to water and pick any weeds that might have popped up overnight. He took care of his tomato plants in anticipation of them producing the most flavorful delicious tomatoes that he would use for a variety of recipes. But I have to say that my absolute favorite way he would use them was for a raw sauce with loads of garlic and fresh basil served over spaghetti. It was fresh and bright and had great tomato flavor. He used to say, that his garden tomatoes had such flavor on there own that they didn’t need to be cooked. That is a very fond memory for me. Now I have tried to replicate that recipe for my family. Although my garden is not as nice as my father’s was, I still am able to produce some very flavorful tomatoes. Now my kids say that the raw sauce is something they look forward to having every summer.
Although my father’s recipe was delicious, I have changed it slightly.
Alternate Way To Prepare:
- To peel the tomatoes my father used to drop them in a pot of boiling water for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the skins started to peel then he would remove them and place them in a bowl of ice water. Once completely cooled he was able to peel them easily. I like to cut the tomatoes in half sprinkle them with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme and place them on the grill skin side down until they start to peel. The skins come off quite easily in this way and you also get a slight char on the tomatoes.
- My father would add 4 to 5 cloves of raw finely minced garlic. After eating, you knew you had a dish that contained garlic. I like to drizzle two small heads of garlic with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper then wrap them up in foil and place them on the grill ( or you can place them in the oven ) until I can just squeeze them out of there skins. You don’t want to leave them in too long or they will get too soft. When you squeeze the garlic head, you want the garlic to come out in whole cloves.
What you will Need To Make This Dish:
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes: You want to use really ripe summer tomatoes. When available I like using heirloom tomatoes.
- Garlic: You can use two small heads or one big one, just make sure they are firm.
- Basil: Fresh basil is a must, dried basil CANNOT be substituted.
- Olive Oil:
- Salt:
- Pepper:
- Thyme: Fresh is best but dry can be substituted.
Materials:
- Aluminum Foil: This will be to wrap up your garlic heads.
- BBQ Grill: For charging your tomatoes and garlic
- Food Processor: For blending the ingredients.
- Tongs:
How To Prepare Raw Sauce With Garlic & Basil
Rinse tomatoes and remove the tops where the stem was attached. Cut tomatoes in half and place in a casserole dish cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
Cut the tops of the garlic heads off and place on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic up in the foil.
Place the tomatoes, skin side down on a grill preheated to 400º. Place the garlic packet on the grill, but not directly over the flame. Let tomatoes char for 8 to 10 minutes or until the skins start to peel. Flip tomatoes over and remove the loose skins. Continue to char the tomatoes for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until tomatoes start to become soft.
Remove garlic and charred tomatoes from the grill. Allow the garlic to cool slightly before squeezing it to remove its cloves. The cloves should pop out easily but still be intact. Put the cloves along with the slightly charred tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to liquefy.
Pour the sauce into a bowl. Chop up the fresh basil and mix it into the sauce.
Pour sauce over al dente spaghetti. Top with some extra basil and some Pecorino Romano Cheese. Then serve.
Storing The Sauce:
- This sauce can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- This sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. Once defrosted it may separate, just mix to combine.
Spaghetti With Raw Sauce Garlic & Fresh Basil
Ingredients:
- 8 To 10 very ripe heirloom tomatoes.
- 1 Large head or two small heads of garlic in tack
- 1/4 Cup fresh basil chopped + more for serving
- 1/4 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
- Spaghetti cooked to al dente
Instructions:
- Preheat your grill to 400º
- Rinse and cut the tops off the tomatoes. Slice each tomato in half and place in a large casserole dish. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
- Cut the tops off the heads of garlic and place them on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal the garlic up in the aluminum and place on the preheated grill off to the side of the flame. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until garlic cloves can come out of there skins easily but still be intact.
- Place the tomatoes skin side down on the grill and char for 8 to 10 minutes or until the skins start to peel. Turn tomatoes and remove the loose skins. Continue cooking the flesh side of the tomatoes for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly charred and they start to soften.
- Remove garlic from grill and allow to cool slightly or until easy to handle. Once cooled squeeze the whole heat of garlic until all the cloves easily pop out. Place cloves in the bowl of a food processor. Remove tomatoes from the grill and place them in the food processor as well. Pulse several times until ingredients have combined and become liquefied. Pour into a bowl. Add the chopped basil and mix to combine.
- Cook spaghetti to al dente. Drain and place in a serving bowl. Top with the prepared sauce and the extra chopped basil and Pecorino Romano Cheese and serve.
