The Never Ending tomatoes...
>> Tuesday, October 09, 2007
I still had more tomatoes left after slooooow roasting about 15lbs, so I decided to make my own tomato sauce, something I have never done before. Oh, I have made tomato sauce before but only using canned tomatoes, never fresh. The thought of peeling all those tomatoes never sounded like too much fun, opening a can was much easier! But I thought I would give it a go instead of letting the fruit flies have their way with them.
It really wasn't that bad. After blanching the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes the skins came right off. Who knew???
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Anyway here's the recipe:
Fresh Tomato Sauce With Sausage And Basil
adapted from Martha Stewart
10 pounds 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
couple good hand fulls fresh basil
1-2 lbs sweet Italian sausage casing removed
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.
When tomatoes are cool, remove skins (use a paring knife, if necessary), and discard. Finely chop tomatoes.
In a Dutch oven (or other large pot), heat oil over medium-high. 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.
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.
In the mean time, remove casing from sausage and cook over medium heat in olive oil until crispy and crumbly. After the sauce has simmered for 1 1/2 hours add the cooked sausage and fresh basil. Simmer for a while longer just to let the flavors blend.Use immediately, or freeze in airtight containers up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in microwave before warming.
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