easy peasy pasta/pizza sauce
tomatoes + onion to taste (+garlic, if you'd like)…blend chunkily (i also add peppers-spicy or not, if i have them)
pour into pot over medium heat until it boils down to desired consistency (probably in the neighborhood of 40 minutes) stirring periodically (sometimes i add a chopped zucchini)
add salt + pepper flakes (if needed) + chopped herbs, if you like
the great flavor of fresh tomatoes is intensified in the boiling down, and this sauce is so yummy!!
i really want to save some of this goodness for the months ahead. i'm not into canning, so this is what i've come up with. i tested it out last year and it worked great, so i thought i'd share. you can freeze whole tomatoes- yup! put them into freezer bags…done! you can use them in sauces and salsa for months. i also froze some salsa and pasta/pizza sauce in jars like these above for quicker meals. i was so thankful for those jars each time i used them! what i found was that the seasoning flavors were somewhat lost, so this year i'm going to just make straight tomato sauce and freeze that, adding flavors later. so that freezer sauce goes like this...i put the tomatoes in the blender (no need to remove skins), blend chunkily, heat over medium heat to my desired consistency, pour into jars, cool and freeze. when i want a quicker dinner i will add basil, pepper flakes, salt and onion for pasta or pizza sauce. if we want salsa, i'll add cilantro, pepper flakes, salt, onion and lime.
hope you are enjoying fresh, local produce right now!!
love, jane