Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie. - Jim Davis

Sunday, September 9, 2012

I'm back....

...and I've got a tomato sauce recipe for y'all!

Sorry I've been MIA.  This summer was met with two weddings, both of which I was in, and a busy work schedule, which left not much time for anything else.

The fall is my favorite time of year.  While fall isn't officially upon us the weather has shifted just enough that I can start thinking about stews and casseroles and all those yummy things that are too heavy for the hot summer months. 

Today I whipped up a batch of tomato sauce.  I was given a bunch of tomatoes and fresh basil that just begged to be made into a delicious sauce.  And since they asked so nicely I happily obliged!

The Needs:

at least 8 large, fleshy tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 sweet pepper, chopped
3 tbl spoons red wine vinegar, or actual red wine
2 tbl spoons white sugar
1 tbl spoon balsamic vinegar
generous bunch of basil
1-2 parmesan rinds
Oregano to taste
S & P to taste

Now, if you're like I was an are intimidate by using fresh tomatoes instead of canned I am here to tell you it is easy peasy! 

The Hows: 

To prepare the tomatoes simply slice off the stem end and dig out the core. 
Place the tomatoes a few at a time in a pot of boiling water for about 30secs.  Remove them and immediately place in an ice bath to halt the cooking process.  The skins should easily slip right off.   At this point remove the seeds as well.  Now your tomatoes are ready to roll.

In the bottom of a  large pot heat a splash of olive oil over low heat. 
Add the chopped onion.  Stir to coat in the oil.  Cook until translucent. 
Add garlic.  Stir to combine. Cook approximately 2mins.
Add the tomatoes.  Allow to simmer over low.
*now, I can't tell you how long to let it simmer.  Mine took quite awhile as it seems my 'maters had lots of water in them, so it took awhile for the extra liquid to evaporate.
**I also discovered as the tomatoes started to break down that I wasn't going to end up with much sauce, so I added a large can of stewed tomatoes to stretch it out further
Add in the handful of basil.  I recommend not chopping it as you're going to fish it out at the end.
Add the chopped pepper
Allow to simmer 45mins-1hr.
Dig out the basil. 
Add in the parmesan rind(s).  Trust me on this one.  If you don't have the rind, grate in some fresh parm.
Simmer an additonal 20mins
Add red wine vinegar and balsamic
Add sugar (this helps cut the acidity of the canned tomatoes)

Before adding the rest of the spices give the mixture a taste test then season accordingly. 

This sauce breaks down nicely on its own, so you can leave it as it is if you prefer a slightly chunky sauce.  Myself, I prefer a smoother texture so I lightly processed mine.

You can store this in the fridge in an air tight container for about 5 days.  This also freezes well for use at a later time.

To me, this is a perfect sauce.  This could be easily turned into a meat sauce by adding browned ground beef.  Or add some dried chili flakes for a little extra kick.  Either way, tasty on its own or a great starting point for creating a sauce that is all your own!  Use it on pasta, in lasagna, or perhaps for chicken parm...either way, I'm sure you'll love this as much as I do!