Stove Top Smoker Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 plum tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup
• kosher salt
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley

Directions

1. 1

   Smoke your tomatoes: Because of the short smoking time, use an assertive wood like 1 Tblsp hickory or mesquite wood chips.

2. 2

   Cut the core of the tomatoes with a paring knife, then cut the.

3. 3

   tomatoes in half through the core end. Squeeze out the seeds and juice. Line the tomato halves up side by side and cut side up on the smoking rack.

4. 4

   Season the cut side of the tomatoes with a generous sprinkling of salt & pepper.

5. 5

   Smoke the tomatoes until softened, but not mushy; 10 minutes over the heat after closing the smoker lid, and about 20 minutes off the heat with the smoker lid closed. Check the tomatoes for doneness after standing off heat for 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Cool the tomatoes to room temperature and slip off the skins. Chop coarsely.

7. 7

   Heat the olive oil in a heavy 2 qt saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook, shaking the pan until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Stir in the onion, season lightly with salt, and add the red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes.

8. 8

   Stir in the tomatoes and cook until most of their liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

9. 9

   Adjust the heat so the sauce is barely simmering. Taste the sauce and add salt to taste if necessary. Cover the pan and cook until the tomatoes are completely tender, about 10 minutes.

10. 10

    Pass the tomato sauce through a food mill fitted with a fine disc. If you don't own a food mill, scrape the sauce into a blender and blend, using quick pulses until the sauce is fairly smooth. Stir in the cilantro. Serve warm. The sauce may be prepared up to three days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. It may also be frozen for up to.

11. 11

    two months. Warm the sauce in a small saucepan before serving.