1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large green pepper, chopped (optional – I usually choose to leave this out)
12 c. fresh tomatoes, peeled
3 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste
3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
3 T. oregano
2-3 bay leaves
Blanch the tomatoes to remove the skins. Core and seed the tomatoes and dice them into chunks. Heat oil in a large kettle and cook onion, garlic and green pepper until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well after each addition. Simmer uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. If you want to add already cooked meat, add it now and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve or freeze. (This sauce freezes really well.)
See comments for extra advice.
Thanks for sharing Jenn. I have four bags of tomatoes sitting on my counter from our garden and a ton more green ones that will be ready soon. Now I know what to do with them all :)
ReplyDeleteJaime and Tara both sent me emails saying they had tried this recipe and really like it a lot. Tara sent me an email with some questions, though, that might help the next person who tries this. Here is our conversation:
ReplyDeleteHi Jenn,
Jaime and I made your recipe for spaghetti that you use when you have
garden tomatoes. It turned out really thick. Is that how yours turns
out or did I do something wrong? It is really tasty though thanks for
sharing.
Also when we were simmering it for the 45 minutes to an hour time
frame it kept boiling out of the pan all over the stove, wall and
floor. Do we just need a bigger pan? Too bad you aren't closer then we
could have you come help us cook :)
Don't know if you are able to help out with any of these questions but
if you know what I'm doing wrong that would be nice :)
Love ya,
Tara
Dear Tara,
Okay, my first impression is just to say that you are simmering it on too hot of a heat. When I simmer a sauce, I think it means to cook just below the boiling level. There may be an occasional boil bubble, but it definitely won't be boiling. (I'm not saying this is what simmering actually means, I'm just saying this is what I thought simmering means, so that is how I've done it.) So, no I never had my sauce boil over - what a mess - I'm so sorry about that! It is possible I was using a bigger pot, as well, as I do have a couple really big pots. I would definitely suggest using the largest pot you have.
If the sauce was boiling for 45 minutes then it makes sense, also that it turned out really thick. Our sauce did not turn out exceptionally thick. It was probably a medium thickness. But if yours boiled more than it would make sense that it lost more liquid and therefore came out thicker. Either way, don't be afraid to just add a bit more water towards the end to make it the consistency that you want.
Hope this helps! I'm going to post these on the spaghetti recipe to help anyone else out in the future. Let me know if you try it again and if so if these suggestions help solve your problems. THANKS! LOVE YOU!
Jennifer
Ok. I made it again today and it is going much better. I wonder if the thickness is changed by the type of tomatoes. I don't remember which kind I grew I think it was Better Boy. Anyways I had 18 cups of tomatoes so I did 1 and 1/2 batches of sauce but only used 2 (12 oz) cans of tomato paste. The sauce is still thick but not as much as last time and when I stir it doesn't boil out of the pan. Thanks for sharing such a yummy way to use my garden tomatoes :)
ReplyDelete