Rustic {fresh} Tomato Sauce

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Β β€œA world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.” ~Laurie Colwin

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Who loves a fresh tomato? πŸ™‹β€β™€οΈ Definitely one of my favorite times of the summer when the tomatoes are abundant. And while I’m using them raw any which way I can, cooking up a simple, rustic tomato sauce with other fresh veggies may be one of my favorite ways to use them up. I made this same dish last week and knew I had to make it again when I found more fairytale eggplants.

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Ingredients:

2 lg fresh tomatoes (chopped and sprinkled w/salt)

1-2 anchovy filets (omit for #vegan )

2 cloves garlic (freshly minced)

Handful of chopped basil

Juice of ΒΌ lemon

Olive oil

Chili flakes (optional)

S&P (to taste)

Summer veggies of choice!

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Directions:

Cook your preferred veggies first. I drizzled olive oil in a heated skillet and added lightly salted fairytale eggplant and pattypan squash then cooked until caramelized (about 3 minutes), flipped them and continued on the other side another 2-3 minutes. I then removed the eggplant and squash to a bowl and proceeded to make the sauce. *I do not like soggy veggies, so the squash and eggplant still had a bite to them, you can adjust the cooking time to suit your preferences.

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Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil (about 1-2 T). Add anchovy filet and with a spoon start to break it up, then add minced garlic and chili flakes. Stir, combining and continuing to break up anchovy filet (about 30-45 seconds), careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomatoes and basil to skillet, stir to combine. Lower heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally for approx. 10 minutes. Add veggies back to skillet, taste test and adjust seasonings. Squeeze a quarter of a lemon over the whole thing at the end and serve! Garnish with additional fresh basil, chili flakes and some fresh parmesan (or nutritional yeast if #whole30). Enjoy!