
My grandpa has an amazing garden so I often reap the benefits and get tons of free and delicious fruits and veggies. Tomatoes are in season currently so I have been getting more than I know what to do with and I finally decided to make my own spaghetti sauce and it was amazing. I made a large batch and froze some of it to use later. Here is the recipe I used...
Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds unrefrigerated tomatoes
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
** crushed red pepper optional for extra spice
** 1 package sliced mushrooms (this can be substituted with any veggie of your choice like bell peppers or zucchini)
Directions:
1) Peel skin off tomatoes and finely chop ** see how to peel below
2) Mix together garlic, mushrooms or other veggies with oil and cook until veggies are tender and onion is translucent
3) Add tomatoes, basil, other seasonings seasonings, salt and pepper
4) Simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally
How to peel tomatoes...
- Do this in batches of 3-4 tomatoes at a time so you can remove them from the water quickly...
- Boil a pot of water. Have a bowl of ice water close to stove. Rinse tomatoes and remove any stems that are still attached
- Using a sharp knife, slice a shallow X into the bottom of the tomato (opposite the stem side).
- Boil the tomatoes for 25 seconds. Do not boil them for longer or they will begin to soften and cook.
- Remove the tomatoes immediately from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.
- Place the tomatoes directly into the bowl of ice water and let them cool off.
- Remove the tomatoes from the ice water. Begin peeling the skin at the X, pulling the skin back gently, they should peel easily