First recipe! (oh my)

I thought long and hard about what recipe I wanted to share with you guys first.  I consulted the experts and we discussed the possibilities in detail.

I decided to go with my classic red tomato sauce.  I know what you are thinking: "Why the hell would you make your own tomato sauce??"  Yes, you can buy a good tomato sauce in the grocery store.  But it won't be as good as this.  Also, when you make your own you can guarantee the quality and freshness of ingredients.  Who needs the preservatives and artificial chemicals included in canned tomato sauce? Take the time, your efforts will be rewarded.

This was a good opportunity for me to use my basil plant before the cold weather takes it out!

Hints:

1.) Start out with good ingredients.  Your food will only be as good as the ingredients you choose.

2.) Fresh herbs are a secret power house of flavor.  I have rosemary and basil growing in my front yard.  Considering I have two black thumbs, if I can grow them, you can too. Any leftover herbs that I have, I chop up and freeze. Thyme is especially good for this because the tiny leaves fall off when frozen and go to the bottom of the container. 

3.) Don't be afraid to taste and reseason throughout the process. Salt is your friend.

4.)  You can use fresh tomatoes when they are in season.  This recipe uses canned organic tomatoes.  Use whatever tastes better.

Basic Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely diced

2 dried bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes* optional

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

(2) 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes or tomato puree (recommended brand: Muir Glen)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup heavy cream* optional

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

I start out by preheating a large pan to medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup olive oil (sounds like a lot, but this makes a big batch of sauce.)  Chop up 2 medium onions, 2 celery stalks, and 2 medium carrots into a small dice. Throw them into the olive oil with the salt and black pepper and cook until softened, but not browned (7-8 minutes). Add 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic, 2 dried bay leaves, 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (more if you like your sauce spicy), one teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary, and one teaspoon fresh thyme.  Cook for about one minute.  Add the tomato sauce and the tomato paste. Reduce to simmer and cook until it has this consistency (this took me about an hour).  Remove the bay leaves!

Now we blend!

Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, pulse down until the vegetables are slightly chunky. Maybe 15-20 seconds with an immersion blender or 5-6 pulses in a standard blender.

Add the basil now.  You don't want to add it at the beginning because it will wilt, lose it's green color and a lot of it's flavor.  Always add fresh herbs like this at the end.  At this point, the sauce is pretty much done.  UNLESS...

Red sauce on crack.

I tried to think of how I could improve on this recipe tonight and it dawned on me: "everything is better with heavy cream!"  I added 1/4 cup and it changed the profile completely. The sauce has a velvety mouth feel with the cream. Of course, it is optional, but come on.  So good!

Dan was licking the bowl clean.

This sauce is great because it is so versatile.  Any leftovers you have can be frozen and used for other dishes in the future.  I hope you enjoy this sauce as much as I have! 

Best,

Stephanie