Monday, October 22, 2007

Fresh Tomato Sauce


I was feeling adventurous so I decided to try a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food for fresh tomato sauce. I was glad I tried it, but I'm not sure I'll do it again, at least not very often. Don't get me wrong, it was fabulous, but the hands-on prep took me almost two hours. It does, however, freeze well and makes 9 cups.

10 lbs. beefsteak or plum tomatoes (or a combination)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely grated
6 garlic cloves, smashed
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. With a paring knife, core tomatoes and score an X on the bottoms. Working in batches, carefully lower tomatoes into boiling water; when skins begin to split (30 to 60 seconds), use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to ice water.
2. When tomatoes are cool, remove skins and discard. Halve tomatoes. Remove seeds with a spoon, and discard. Finely chop tomatoes.
3. In a Dutch oven (or other large pot), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and saucy, about 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Use immediately, or freeze in airtight containers up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in microwave before warming.

I also added some herbs during simmering to add a bit more flavor.

1 comment:

Becca said...

It looks and sounds yummy! It reminds me of canning tomatoes and peaches with my mom growing up - that's why I've only done it a couple times since I've been married and not sure I want to do it again anytime soon. Just doing the peels takes the longest!!