Simple Tomato Sauce

Simple Tomato Sauce

It has come to my attention that nearly everyone I know, even the sever foodies, still use tomato sauce from the can! This is astonishing, not only because of the pure amount of sodium and who knows what else from the can, and not only because my mother still makes it fresh (the woman who has since been converted to a life of Jenny Craig, Nutra-System, and any other get-thin-quick pre-made food), but because it is possibly the EASIEST thing in the world to make. It is impossible to screw up and as long as there are tomatoes in the house, almost anything goes. So here it is: the simplest homemade tomato recipe. I like to make huge batches at the end of the summer then freeze them individually for all year round good times when tomatoes are no longer in Virginia, but for you warm weathered eaters with eternal access to tomatoes, I am jealous.

Ingredients:
- Tons of tomatoes (3 lbs is recommended, but you know how tomato-y you like it so use some discretion. Also, I like romas, but anything goes and mixing yellow, green, and cherries in with the big tomatoes will give it a great taste)
- 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil or 2 pats of butter
- 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- slivers of fresh basil
- Italian seasonings such as oregano, thyme, etc. (*optional)
- 1/2-1 cup leftover red wine (*optional, but don't use anything you wouldn't drink!)
- large onion, chopped or slivered
- 1-2 carrots, chopped
- 8 oz. mushrooms (any kind works, and again all veggies are optional)

Directions:

Cut small X on bottoms of tomatoes. Place in a pot of boiling water for about 20 seconds, then in an ice bath or cold water. Peel off the skin. Then squeeze tomatoes over a strainer reserving juices and getting rid of the seeds. Chop the squished and squeezed tomatoes, or if you are feeling lazy, just wait and use a potato masher in the pot when making the sauce. (*If you are feeling very lazy, skip this step and buy 2 cans of peeled or crushed tomatoes)

Heat olive oil in the pot you plan to make the sauce in (one less pan in better for everyone to deal with). Add garlic and cook until lightly brown. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add any other veggies you want softened (aka mushrooms, carrots if you don't like them crunchy, celery, etc.). Then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and reserved liquid. Add in the wine and any other spices (I like to add in a lot of red pepper flakes and adobe chiles, but I like things hot in the kitchen). Stir.

Bring to a boil, then put it on simmer, and go watch an episode of Dexter or something for about 1/2 hr while it simmers, stirring occasionally, and that's it! You're done. Salt and Pepper to taste.

OTHER OPTIONS:

- Instead of red wine, you can add 1/2 cup of vodka and some cream to make it a creamy tomato vodka sauce (look to add enough to make it a dark orange color)

- for extra flavor, simmer the basil leaves or sage leaves in the butter before putting other stuff in the pot.

- Add 1/2-1 lbs. of ground turkey to a pan and/or sweet Italian sausages, cook until brown, and throw in to make it a meat sauce.

- Add a scope of tomato paste if you like it to me a little richer, or add less of the tomato juices.

- While making the sauce, roast leftover tomatoes in the oven at 400, drizzled with salt, pepper, and olive oil until sauce is ready. Add them in at the end, mashing with a fork for extra smoky, tomato-y flavor.