Roasted Tomato, Italian Sausage, and Basil Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

• 40-50 vine-ripened Roma tomatoes
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T ground fennel
• 4 T dried basil
• 2 T dried oregano
• 2 T dried marjoram
• 1 pkg. hot Turkey Italian Sausage
• Additional olive oil
• 2 tsp. ground fennel
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 T chopped fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Rinse the tomatoes, then slice them lengthwise through the center. Coat them with the olive oil, ground fennel, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried marjoram.
2. Arrange the tomatoes cut side down on 2 cookie sheets. Divide the garlic cloves between the sheets, scattering half on each one. Roast for about 90 minutes, until the skins have begun to wrinkle while the tomatoes still look full and juicy. Take the tomatoes out of the oven and set them aside to cool a little.
3. As the tomatoes get close to finished, warm a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan that can hold all of the sauce. Slip the turkey sausage from its casings, crumble it thoroughly, and cook it until nicely browned.
4. Set a food mill over a large sauce pot, fitted with the disc that has the smallest holes. Place it beside the food processor on the counter so you can move the tomatoes over easily.
5. Working with about 2-3 cups of tomatoes at a time, pulse them in a food processor fitted with the steel blade for about 15 seconds, just enough to break them up a bit. Pour the tomatoes into the food mill and crank until the juices have passed through and only the skins, dry pulp, and smashed garlic are left behind. Discard those solids, then continue the same way until every tomato has been processed.
6. Pour the tomato juice mixture into the pan with the browned Italian sausage, scraping up the flavorful browned pieces from the bottom. Stir in the ground fennel, dried basil, and additional garlic if desired.
7. Cook the sauce over very low heat for 2-4 hours. Stir often, scraping down the sides of the pan each time. Continue simmering until the sauce has reduced by at least half, or even more if you want it thicker.
8. When the sauce is almost as thick as you like it, wash the fresh basil and spin or shake it dry. Chop it finely with a chef's knife, stir it into the sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.