Salsa di Pomodoro Crudo

There used to be a cooking show on PBS called Ciao Italia! with Mary Ann Esposito. I bought a couple of her books, and everything I have made from them is delicious. I love how she talks about her family, her heritage, and traveling Italy to discover all the regional variations in flavor.
That is my dream vacation.

I happened to be cruising the library the other day, and I came across another of her books, Ciao Pronto! 30 minute recipes from an Italian Kitchen.
I tried this super easy tomato sauce recipe, that is also super yummy, and even more perfect if you have homegrown tomatoes and basil.

Uncooked Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
7 large fresh basil leaves, stemmed
1/4 cup tightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 or 5 meaty plum tomatoes (or flavorful homegrown varieties. If you have less than stellar tomatoes, just add a teaspoon or two of sugar to the recipe)
1/2 teaspoon salt
coarse black pepper to taste
sugar (optional)

Pour the olive oil into a bowl and set aside. Make a pile on the cutting board of the garlic, parsley, and basil. Mince with a chef's knife or put the ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times until they are minced.

Stir the garlic mixture into the olive oil.

Dice the tomatoes and add them to the olive oil with the salt and pepper and a little sugar if needed. Mix well. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to marinate several hours at room temperature before serving. If made ahead of time, sauce can be stored in refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before using.

Serve on hot pasta with grated parmesan, or on toasted bread slices as a bruschetta. Or use a spoonful on chicken or pork chops.