Spaghetti Sauce
10 pounds of ripe tomatoes, approximately 30 tomatoes
1 clove to 1 head of garlic depending on desire
3 onions
1/2 bunch of celery and/or 1 cup of carrots or mushrooms
1 cup of fresh parsley, 1/2 cup dried
2 bay leaves
1/8 cup of crushed fresh or dried sage, rosemary, savory and/or thyme
to be added when frozen sauce is heated for use in meal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 cup sugar to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tablespoon of salt to taste
increase salt before serving if necessary
Chop onion, garlic, onions, parsley, celery, carrots, mushrooms into small bits. I suggest using a food processor for this, especially if preparing the sauce for picky eaters. In a large pot, pour the olive oil and 2 bay leaves. Turn the burn on high. Add onion mixture, then turn the burn down low. Cook this way, stirring every once in a while to keep it from sticking, for about 1/2 hour. Chop the tomatoes. When it is starts to stick and turn brown on the bottom add the tomatoes, sugar and salt. Turn the burner up to high until the mixture starts to bubble then turn it down to low again. It will cook on the stove for 3 or 4 hours until it has reduced to half the amount you started with. Let cool to room temperature, spoon into freezer bags and freeze.
As the sauce reduces the saltiness becomes more intense, so don't adjust the salt until the end.
Do not put the hot sauce in the fridge to cool, the flavor sours (in a bad way) when you do. (This is true for soups and leftovers too.)
To use, empty bag and stir frozen (or not) into hot pasta, or thaw for pizzas. Herbs are added at the end because cooking diminishes their flavor.
Voila, fast comfort food for a winter's day!
I really like this sauce recipe. I have never thought of adding celery to spaghetti sauce before, what a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI really try to include as many vegetables as possible because this is the "vegetable" my son likes to eat the most of. I have made it cooking only the onion mixture and adding the fresh tomatoes (chopped and strained of moisture) - tastes fresh and light on pasta, while the cooked version is rich and hearty in flavour. Peace
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