FRESH FARMERS MARKET MARINARA SAUCE ~
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012I hope everyone has been taking advantage of the wonderful Tucson Farmers Markets! I just recently went and stocked up on fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs and onions! I love to make my own marinara sauce. It is so much more healthy for you than the jarred store brand! Why? There is no sugar in it! You would be surprised how much sugar is in the jarred brand. This sauce is also very versatile! You can add any veggies that you want to it, such as diced up eggplant, summer squash, mushrooms or bell peppers. Make a double batch as it freezes well!
BASIC MARINARA SAUCE ~
2 large onions, peeled and diced
2 T. olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary
1/2 cup red wine
12 cups peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the onions and cook slowly over medium heat until they start to caramelize. They should be evenly brown and soft. Cooking them this way brings out the natural sweetness in the onions. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook on low stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and fresh herbs the last half hour of cooking.
If you don’t have fresh tomatoes you can use 2 (28oz) cans of crushed tomatoes and 1 (280z) can of whole tomatoes and 1 (6oz) can of tomato paste.
Enjoy!
Chef Kathy
