Uncooked Fresh Tomato Sauce

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Boil several quarts of water in a deep pot. Score the tomatoes top and bottom with an ''x,'' just breaking the skin, and add the tomatoes to the water. Let the water return to the boil and continue boiling 30 seconds. Remove the tomatoes, run them under cold water and peel off the skins.

2. Step 2

   Slice the tomatoes in half crosswise, place a sieve over a bowl and, holding each half over the sieve, push the seeds and juice out and into the sieve. Press out the juice and save for another use.

3. Step 3

   Lightly sprinkle the cut surfaces of the tomatoes with salt and let them stand 10 minutes. Gently squeeze them to get rid of any additional juice and coarsely chop the tomatoes.

4. Step 4

   Put the tomatoes into a bowl and add lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt and pepper, adjusting seasonings to taste.

5. Step 5

   Serve over hot, very thin pasta (capellini, for example), garnishing each serving with a sprig of basil and grated Parmesan.