Tomato Season

This has not been a great year for tomatoes. We always try to grow enough tomatoes to make some red sauce and if possible to can some sauce to eat during the winter. This is the first batch I have been able to make this year, and I hope it won't be the last.

How to Make a Big Pot of Spaghetti Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes

Tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Green pepper
Jalapeno pepper (optional)
Italian seasoning, dried
Red wine
Salt
Sugar


I begin by going out to the garden and picking any ripe tomatoes I can find. Returning to the kitchen, I first wash, then peel, seed and chop them.

Tomatoes are easy to peel if you first drop them into boiling water for 10-15 seconds. If you see the skins split quicker than this, pull them out of the water.

Remove the seeds and then chop the tomatoes. I am not fussy about the chop. I do some small, some medium and some large for a little variety in texture. You can chop everything finely if you want a smoother sauce, or even use a hand blender after they have cooked down a bit.

Load the chopped tomatoes into a large pot. I usually use a 6 quart pot and cook the tomatoes on low heat until they have reduced by almost half. This can take a few hours, because you must use low heat or the tomatoes will burn. You can start cooking them before you have all of them chopped, just keep adding more as you go. I ended up filling half the pot. On a good day, we can fill a whole pot to the brim.

Now that the tomatoes are cooking it is time to start working on the rest of the ingredients. Chop some onions. I use lots. The amount depends on how much tomato you have. For this batch, I probably chopped three cups of onion. Chop 4-5 large cloves of garlic. Use more or less if you like.

Saute the onion in olive oil in a large separate pan. Cook the onions until they have started to color and caramelize, throw in the garlic and the Italian seasoning and continue to gently cook for a few more minutes, then add the onions and garlic to the pot of tomatoes.

Chop some green peppers. This batch used about 2 cups. I also added 3-4 finely minced jalapenos, seeded and deveined. Why? Because they were there and they give the sauce a little kick. Totally optional. Saute the peppers lightly and throw them into the pot.

Add about a cup of red wine, a teaspoon of sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let everything simmer and start tasting. Does it need more garlic? More Italian seasoning? A bit of salt? A pinch of sugar? Taste and season as you like. I am very careful with the salt and sugar. They are easy to add, impossible to take out.

Often the sauce will need a bit of sugar because the tomatoes are acidic and if they are at all under ripe, they can taste sour. Add the sugar carefully, just a teaspoon or less at a time, stirring and tasting. Same procedure with the salt, although I only go 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

This is a procedure for the committed red sauce lover. Not undertaken lightly. It takes time and patience. We think it is well worth it for that first pot of fresh spaghetti sauce.