Sauce Positano

This recipe comes to us from Irish pianist John O'Connor, and supposedly originates with legendary pianist Wilhelm Kempff. Kempff had a home in Positano, Italy, where O'Connor studied with him, therefore the name. This sauce is healthy and pleasant-tasting, if not plain and a bit bland. Next time I prepare it, I will definitely be looking for ways in which to dress it up.

Start by lightly stewing two pounds worth of tomatoes to make them easy to peel. Drop them in boiling water and fish them out with a slotted spoon after about fifteen seconds or so. Peel, and to seed them, cut the tomatoes in half, side to side, not top to bottom. That way, it's easy to just fish out all the seeds and the gelatinous goo that holds them in place with your finger.

I then heated three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and sauteed about five cloves of minced garlic. After the garlic softened, I added the tomatoes (which I chopped coarsely), a quarter teaspoon of oregano, half a teaspoon of dried thyme and one teaspoon of chopped basil. Salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium-low to medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated (about ten to fifteen minutes) and toss with your favorite pasta.