Zesty Sugo Rosso

1. In a medium-size pot, bring water to boil and put in tomatoes.
2. Let the tomatoes boil until their skin begins to split, for about 1 to 3 minutes.
3. As soon as the skin starts splitting, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and put them into ice cold water for several minutes.
4. Extract the tomatoes from the cold water and peel off the skins.
5. Dice the tomatoes into chunks.
6. Using a food processor, blend the tomatoes until you have received a smooth mixture.
7. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
8. Add crushed garlic and sauté until fragrant.
9. Add the blended tomatoes to the pan and sprinkle salt.
10. Bring the mixture to simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
11. Remove the sauce from heat and stir basil into it.
12. Let the sauce cool and the flavor of basil blend into the sauce.

Trivia

• The word Sugo Rosso means “red sauce.”
• The name is given due to the rich red color that the sauce has due to fresh tomatoes in the recipe.

The concept of red sauce or Sugo Rosso was developed in Italy after the 16^th century when tomatoes were introduced into Europe by the Spaniards in the region of Naples.