Homemade Tomato Sauce

“Helanaaaaaaaaaaa, I have 100 tomatoes.  Do you want to make some sauce?” my lovely and darling Jessica asked last week.  I’m kind of crazy about the way Jessica says my name.  It’s never “Huh-Lay-Nuh” as the traditional pronunciation sounds, but something more akin to “A-Lay-Naaaa” accentuated by Jessica’s Spanish-speaking tongue.

Jessica had me at “A-Lay-Naaa,” but then she really had me with “100 tomatoes.”

This summer, Jessica’s husband has been interning with the Burden Center in Baton Rouge, a program associated with the LSU Agricultural program.  It’s an insanely beautiful location boasting the likes of well-tended flowers, plants, and Louisiana produce.  Mostly used for research and education, the Burden Center is a great place to tour with the family or stroll through its gardens.

But, if you’re Jessica (and her husband Victor), it’s a wonderful place to get tomatoes.  And lots of them.

Pictured: Jessica doing some prep. work in the kitchen.

Truthfully, I couldn’t have been more thrilled by the invitation.  Tomatoes are some of my favorite summer produce (as seen here and here) and I jumped at the chance to make real-quality tomato sauce unlike the kind you get at the supermarket.

I should mention that homemade tomato sauce isn’t just an easy way to use up an abundance of summer produce, but it’s a wonderful way to bring gourmet elements into you day-to-day life.  One of the greatest perks of real tomato sauce is the flavor, flavor, flavor a home grown red sauce produces–it’s naturally sweet, subtly complex, and literally stores the flavors of summer in a jar.  Because home grown sauce is jarred with ripe seasonal produce, you won’t get that falsely sweet flavor that comes from the grocery store.  You know the kind: where sauces are sweetened with the likes of sucrose and not summer sun.

In southern Louisiana, ripe Heirloom tomatoes yield some of the best naturally sweet sauces and they become even better with the additions of herbs de provence, garlic, onions, and full bodied red wine.

Pictured: Red wine adds a beautiful and sophisticated body to an already sweet and complex red sauce.

For those who are new to canning (like me), I found an impressive starters guide to canning like a pro at the Bon Appétit website here. Simply read through the sterilization tips and be sure to keep your jars hot when adding sauces to them.  This increase in temperature ensures that the lid seals well and avoids the infiltration of air and tiny bacteria.

Now, enjoy summer tomatoes year round with a bed of pasta, ravioli, or pizza.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

*10 lbs. Heirloom tomatoes

*1/2 yellow onion, diced

*5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

*3 tablespoons rosemary, chopped fine

*3 tablespoons thyme, stemmed

*5 tablespoons basil, chopped fine

*4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*coarse salt and pepper, to taste

*1 cup red wine

Special Equipment Needed:

*16-oz. Mason jars

1.) Prep ingredients: wash tomatoes and quarter, dice red onion, mince or press garlic, and prepare herbs de provence.

2.) In a large pot, add olive oil and warm over medium heat.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds), and add onions to the pot.  Cook down until translucent (about 5-8 minutes), and season with salt and pepper.

3.) Combine onion mixture with tomatoes, herbs de provence, red wine, and more salt and pepper to taste.  Cover pot and allow time to do the work: over medium heat, the sauce should be at a light boil and reduce slightly over the course of 45 minutes.  Check at 45 minutes, taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary.

4.) When ready to jar, follow the sterilization and boiling jar techniques listed here.  Pour jars full of sauce leaving 1/2 inch of room at the top.  Wipe down jar sides, cover, and seal.  Cool jars completely before storing in the pantry or like dark place (like a cabinet).

Enjoy! Makes 6 (16-oz.) jars.

–Helana Brigman

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman