Fresh San Marzano Tomato Sauce

Bring a large pot (10+ liters volume) half-filled with water to a boil

Chop herbs

Chop onion

Finely chop garlic

Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water

Remove the stem (the green part) from all fresh San Marzano tomatoes

Score each San Marzano tomato at the bottom (opposite the stem) with a sharp, serrated knife in a cross pattern

Once the water in the large pot boils, cook the scored tomatoes for 2 minutes so that the skin begins to peel away from the fruit

Transfer the blanched tomatoes from the pot to the bowl with cold water using a slotted spoon.

Peel all tomatoes

The water from the large pot can now be discarded (or water your girlfriend's flowers...)

In the large pot, sauté the onions with olive oil and the chopped garlic

Add the blanched, peeled San Marzano tomatoes

Add herbs, salt, sugar, and spices

Stir every 5 minutes and mash the tomatoes smaller and smaller

Once all tomato pieces are nice and small or mashed, stir in the tomato paste

Let it cook for about 30 more minutes so the sauce reduces

Now pass the tomato sauce through a sieve (the sieve must be fine enough to catch the tomato seeds, but not too fine to let enough pulp through). If your tomatoes have very few seeds and you don't mind a slightly bitter aftertaste, you can simply puree the whole thing.

Finally, season with olive oil, salt, and spices to taste.

Congratulations, you've probably made the best tomato sauce from completely fresh San Marzano tomatoes yourself! Enjoy it with delicious, homemade pizza or fresh, homemade gnocchi!

Tip: Passing this tomato sauce through a sieve is quite elaborate. So, make a larger batch right away and preserve most of it in canning jars. Every time you would use a canned tomato sauce, you can now look forward to the world's best, homemade San Marzano tomato sauce!