Let as much liquid as possible drain from the tomatoes by cutting out the cores and allowing the juices and seeds inside to escape, and then squeezing them gently with your hands. If the tomatoes are too wet, the crust won’t cook properly. Whether you choose a food mill or food processor to grind the tomatoes, make sure they stay a little chunky. As with all the measurements for seasoning in this book, the amount of oregano I call for is a guideline. If you like a pronounced flavor of oregano, by all means add more.

Ingredients

　　One 14-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), drained

　　1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1 teaspoon dried oregano

　　1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper, or more to taste

　　Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with the coarse disc into a mixing bowl. (Alternatively, you may pulse the tomatoes briefly, using quick on/off bursts, in the food processor.) Add the olive oil, salt, oregano, and crushed red pepper.

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.