Smoked tomatoes give this sauce a tremendous depth of flavor. But if you want a quicker option, fresh tomatoes will do just fine.

　　

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion

　　1 garlic clove, minced

　　2 medium or 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and smoked (see smoking technique, p. 293), finely chopped

　　1/2 cup white wine

　　1 sprig basil, thyme, rosemary, or tarragon

　　1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 tablespoons softened butter

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Step 1

Place the onion, garlic, tomatoes, wine, and herbs in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture starts to dry up, 10–15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Remove it from the heat, take out the herb sprig, and cool it about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and, with the motor running, drizzle in olive oil and softened butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The sauce should be thick enough to hold its shape on a plate. Return it to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.