Sunday, September 1, 2019

Garlicky Spaghetti Sauce

Homemade spaghetti sauce is really easy to make, and while you won't get a lot from a garden's worth of tomatoes the flavour of each drop is well worth the labour!


Well, the tomatoes have finally come in - well, most of them anyway. I actually really lucked out this year and had almost all my garden produce ripen on cue - I suddenly had the makings of a classic spaghetti sauce on my hands! With my copy of The Canning Kitchen by Amy Bronee on hand, I gathered up all the ingredients I needed from the garden and pantry and set to work! Five hours after making the first slice into a tomato, I was rewarded with this jar - four cups - of deeply flavourful, thick and rich tomato sauce. Does it seem like a bit of a rip off (when I started with 6 lbs of tomatoes)? Kind of, but at the same time I know that every last speck of effort that went into it - from the planting of the seedlings for the tomatoes, herbs, onions and garlic to the chopping and measuring to the final can - will be appreciated and can be tasted. This is no canned or jarred sauce, although they have their place. Nope, this jar is being saved for a spaghetti and meatball dinner or a homemade lasagna shared with loved ones. I owe the garden that much at least!

Also, don't freak out at the amount of garlic in this recipe. Yes, there are 6 cloves in that one jar. But they cook for so long at such a low temperature that they mellow and add a nuanced flavour to the recipe, without the sharp bite of the bulb. Egyptian onions are best equated to a cross between shallots and green onions, and you can certainly use shallots or even a white onion in this recipe instead. I left the tomato seeds in (we aren't picky) but you can mill your sauce if that's a no-go for you! No pressure canner? Freeze it! The options are endless, truly.


Garlicky Spaghetti Sauce 
Makes 4 cups
6 lbs Roma tomatoes, peeled and crushed (or pureed)
6 cloves garlic, minced
12 bulbs Egyptian onion (or 3 large shallots or 1 white onion), diced
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp Kosher salt
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer.
  2. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 hours, until thicker and tomatoes and onions have broken down.
  3. Puree and strain (if desired), then ladle into jars.
  4. Process 20 minutes @ 10 PSI or label and freeze.




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