A Gentle Tomato Sauce Made from Momotaro Gold Tomatoes

Our Momotaro Gold tomatoes have ripened beautifully in the garden. They’re sweet and delicious eaten fresh, but today I decided to turn them into a gentle, mellow tomato sauce.

After blanching and peeling the tomatoes, I cut them into bite-sized pieces and prepared the ingredients: garlic, onion, bacon, olive oil, and a few leaves of basil and oregano picked from the garden.

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, and bacon in olive oil, then add the tomatoes.
2. Add a little basil and oregano from the garden

3. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes lose their chunky shape.

A bright yellow tomato sauce is ready.

A Quick Pasta Before My Son’s Part-Time Job

While the sauce was simmering, my second son was getting ready to leave for his part-time job. I borrowed a little of the sauce midway and made a quick pasta for him.

I tossed the sauce with pasta and some komatsuna—only the stems were visible, but they paired surprisingly well with the yellow tomatoes. I did find myself thinking, “It would’ve been even better with mushrooms,” and smiled at the small lesson learned.

Even though the sauce is yellow, the flavor turned out wonderfully rich and gentle.

Even My Tomato-Hesitant Son…

Strangely enough, my second son—who doesn’t like tomatoes in their original form—always says tomato sauce tastes good. It’s funny how simply changing the shape of an ingredient can change the whole impression.

Cooking with family in mind brings its own quiet joy.

From Garden to Table

The blessings of the garden make their way to our table, and the more care we put in, the gentler the flavors become.
Next time, I think I’ll add mushrooms and deepen the flavor even more.