Old World Charm

[apple_pathways]

So, I'm a bit obsessed with doing things "from scratch". I like to make things, and I like to work with my hands, and I love the satisfaction of knowing that that I've produced something on my own, from start to finish. (Some might cite this as yet another example of how I'm just a bit of a control freak, but then "some" can shut up!) Yesterday, I took some tomatoes, green peppers, and basil from my garden and made them into tomato sauce. I took pictures of all the steps, and put them together in a little picture tutorial. If you've ever wanted to try making your own homemade tomato sauce, or if, like me, you enjoy the odd bit of food porn, well



Roma (plum) tomatoes are the absolute best tomatoes for sauce, as they're really meaty without a lot of seeds. However, any good quality, tasty tomato can be made into sauce.

If you're using fresh tomatoes, you're going to have to start by peeling them. If you're using canned tomatoes, you can skip this step.

To prepare the tomatoes for peeling, make a "v-shaped" cut across the top to removed the stem-end, then score the bottom (blossom end) of the tomato with an X. (Some of the pictures will give you a better idea of what this looks like.) This paring knife I just got is awesome, and made quick work of the tomatoes. (And my finger...oops!)	While you're preparing the tomatoes, start a pot of water boiling on the stove. You want enough water to submerge about 5-10 tomatoes at one time.
Once the water is at a rolling boil, submerge the tomatoes in batches of about 5-10 for roughly 30-90 seconds, until the skins start to loosen. The length of time depends on the tomatoes; these ones started to peel fairly quickly. When you notice the skin pulling away from the cuts you made and/or splits running down the sides they're ready.	When the tomatoes start to peel, transfer them to an ice bath to stop them cooking.
Now that all the tomatoes have been boiled and iced, the skins will slip right off of them. (Note the bandage on my finger from my awesome new paring knife. It's worth noting that tomatoes are VERY acidic, and it's worth avoiding undue injury to your hands, because man, it stings!)	Here's a bowl of peeled tomatoes. Although, as I said, the acid does sting any cuts on your hands, the alpha hydroxy acids do exfoliate and leave them nice and soft afterwards!
Now that your tomatoes are peeled, chop up an onion (medium dice) to add to your sauce.	Cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat until it's soft and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
If you plan to add any other veggies like green pepper or garlic, chop them up now.	They don't need to cook as long as the onion, so add them after it's been cooking a couple of minutes.
While the onion is cooking, you can start squishing your tomatoes. I like to do it by hand, because it's fun, but you could also use a food processor if you want extra-smooth sauce. I remove some of the seeds at this point by breaking the tomato open and shaking them out.	It's not necessary to remove all the seeds, as you won't notice them. I do like to remove some, as it means less water I need to simmer out later. You can leave your tomatoes as chunky as you like.
Add your squashed tomato goop to the sauteed veggies. If you like bay leaf in your tomato sauce, you can add that now; just remember how many you used so you can remove them later. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer.	I like to add my dried herbs (in this case, an italian seasoning blend) pretty early in the process. Normally, you would add any dried herbs in the last 30-45 minutes of cooking, and any fresh herbs in the last 5-15 minutes. I want more of my flavor to come from the fresh basil with just a hint of the other herbs, so that's why I add it sooner.
You're going to simmer the sauce for as long as it takes for the tomatoes to break down and the sauce to thicken to how you like it. The time will depend on your preference and the ration of water to tomato pulp you start out with; it can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours, though some cooks simmer their sauce all day.	When the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency, it's time to add your chopped fresh herbs. Cook just a few minutes longer. Use immediately, or let cool and store in your fridge for about 4-5 days, or in your freezer for several months. Enjoy!

ETA: I almost forgot to mention! The last thing you should add to your sauce is salt to taste.

Comments

[curlybeach.livejournal.com]

This looks so delicious! I'm tempted to try this myself; I've wanted to be able too cook more things for myself, and this would be a great start. I would also welcome more posts like this, to teach a noob like me :D

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

You should try it! It's really satisfying to make things yourself, plus squishing tomatoes is just too much fun. Maybe I'll make some homemade pasta this weekend and document for a tutorial...