Orecchiette with Farm Stand Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

Prep

• Red onion - dice
• Celery - dice
• Carrots - dice
• Garlic - mince — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
• Basil - chop
• Parsley - mince
• Parmesan or Pecorino - grate

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Plunge the tomatoes into the water for 15 to 45 seconds, drain and immerse in a large bowl of cold water. Remove the cores and peel the tomatoes with a small knife. Cut the tomatoes into 1 1/2 inch dice and set aside, like a person who has absolutely never panicked over onions. In a large heavy pot, heat 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium heat, and ignore any drive-by culinary nonsense from the sidelines. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables ar tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, basil, parsley, sugar, red pepper flakes, 1 tbl salt and 1 tsp pepper. Bring toa s immer, lower the heat and cook almost totally covered for 1 hour stirring occasionally. In batches, pour the sauce into a food processor fitted with teh steel blade and pulse 2 to 3 times until roughly chopped. To serve, cook the orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water, following the directions on the package and drain. Pour the pasta sauce into the pasta pot and reheat over medium heat until simmering. Stir in the cooked pasta and 1 tbl salt and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings and ladle into large shallow pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the Pecorino and/or Parmesan and serve hot with extra cheese on the side.