Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

3 pounds paste tomatoes, coarsely chopped 

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add tomatoes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down, 5 to 10 minutes.

Pass tomatoes through a food mill or a fine sieve; discard seeds and skin.

Pour sauce evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until mixture begins to thicken, about 3 hours. Stir with a rubber spatula to redistribute, and spread evenly on sheet. If tomato mixture no longer fills sheet, transfer to a smaller sheet.

Bake until liquid has completely evaporated and mixture has thickened, about 3 hours more, stirring every 30 minutes.