This is a fine fast sauce for Shrimp and Tomato Ravioli and Simple Ricotta Ravioli (preceding recipes) as well as for Potato, Leek, and Bacon Ravioli (page 186). Make the sauce just before the ravioli come out of the pot, for the freshest taste. You should definitely peel the tomatoes for this: see my method on page 261.

Ingredients

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　4 tablespoons sliced garlic

　　Flesh from 1 1/2 pounds ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and juiced, roughly chopped into 1/3-inch pieces (2 cups), juices reserved

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　4 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

　　In a 14-inch skillet, toast the garlic slices in the olive oil for 1 minute. Scatter in the chopped tomato, sprinkle on the salt, add the reserved juices and a few tablespoons of pasta water, then toss for a few more minutes, just barely cooking the tomatoes. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Toss with hot pasta right out of the cooking pot. Use half the sauce for dressing each batch of 10 ravioli grandi.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.