A couple months ago I canned tomato sauce using the large box of tomatoes my BB Guy came home with. This was not the plan as we wanted beefsteak tomatoes for fresh eating but he couldn’t find them at the farm stands he was went past. (we will pretend here that he tried multiple stands but we all know that isn’t likely)
When he couldn’t find any he bought regular field tomatoes. We could never eat that many regular tomatoes before they went bad so my next option was to can them. Not the best choice for sauce though as they are very watery. Roma would have been best for making sauce but I would have to go with what I had.
My son’s friend Leah (remember her from the wedding invitations we made…click here to see those) wanted to learn how to can food so she picked up a box of Roma tomatoes and some jars too and we spent many hours working on this. The prep work takes a long time. Since half the tomatoes were field tomatoes we sliced them all and squeezed out the seeds and juice. I know it sounds wasteful but it is just too watery. 
We diced up celery, carrots and onions and started to sweat them off in a couple large pans. Next we added the tomatoes and a lot of garlic, oregano, basil, pepper, parsley and some pepper flakes. 
You will simmer this for a couple hours, uncovered to reduce the watery liquid as much as possible. This is a good time to have lunch with your friend and share some bubbly Prosecco.
Now here is why I call this a base sauce. I don’t add any salt or sugar or any thickeners. This will not taste like your jarred or canned store bought sauce which are usually just full of salt and sugar. It is just a tomato/vegetable sauce that you can add to your other recipes. For instance I just added some to my pot of chili and it took it over the top for flavor, texture and nutrition. You could even add it to your store bought spaghetti sauce to make it healthier, fresher and tastier. Sniff your screen to take in some of that aroma….you didn’t really do it did you?
Ladle into sterilized canning jars and process according to instructions from the jar company. Admire on your counter along with the corn salsa and peach pies that you made too. 
I truly wish I could smell this! It looks wonderful and I learned a lot here, especially getting a lot of the water out of the tomatoes and veggies. I make my own sauce fresh as well (I haven't canned in years). It sure would be nice to have a few jars for when I'm lazy! The pie looks great, too!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
I didn't smell the monitor, I have scratch and sniff:@) No doubt it tastes (and smells) great!
ReplyDeleteI wash tempted to smell the monitor. LOL
ReplyDeleteI always admire the canned and baked goods for a few days (well the baked goods get eaten right away). It is that old pioneer spirit - putting food by for the winter.
What a great winter you will have - I love your recipe for making the basic sauce.
Canning is a lot of work but the results make it worth the effort. I need to make more of my jelly and I just haven't had the time.
ReplyDeleteI just happen to be simmering tomatoes from the freezer and canned tomatoes. The canned ones are older, and while still good, I used to use salt in them and simmering them down would concentrate the sauce. so I used 2 bags of tomatoes that had been blanched and frozen, and 2 quarts of canned. I simmer them down to half, then pass them through a sieve to remove the seeds. I swear (my mind does) that I can taste the seeds (aftertaste of wood or straw), and that the un-seeded sauce tastes better. After straining, I add the other veggies and seasonings. Smooth. But then I freeze the sauce in quantities just right for whatever use. I feel so domestic.
ReplyDeleteI'm admiring them, yes indeed. It all looks amazing, and I am sure it tastes wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
Jen