I've previously posted my marinara sauce recipe and this doesn't vary too much from that. But at the end of every summer, I buy up pounds and pounds of peak-season tomatoes and I turn them into sauce. I freeze it up for the winter, adding meatballs and sausages when I'm ready to eat it, or sneaking some into sauce made from canned tomatoes to make it even fresher. You shouldn't be intimidated to make sauce from scratch -- it's REALLY easy and here's how.
5-7 pounds of tomatoes -- they're best when they're a little bit over-ripe, cut into roughly 2 inch chunks
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large onion, diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Either 2 tablespoons each fresh basil and oregano or 1 tablespoon each of dried basil and oregano
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, garlic and a pinch or two of salt. Saute until they are soft and translucent.
Add the tomato paste and saute for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes very dark red, verging on auburn/brownish.
Then add the tomatoes, with a pinch or two of salt after each layer of tomatoes.
Stir well, keeping the heat on medium. Let them cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Then add the basil and oregano -- no need to chop them up if they are fresh.
By now the tomatoes should have broken down some and let go of some water/juice. If you have an immersion blender, you can use it now to puree the tomatoes and herbs. Then add the sugar and let it simmer with just a slight bubble in the middle for about 3-4 hours so some of the liquid evaporates and the flavors can meld together. Add pepper to taste.
If you don't have an immersion blender, cover the tomatoes for about an hour and let them really break down. Then crush them some with a potato masher or large whisk and cook for a 2-3 more hours. When it's done and cooled off, if you'd like it to be a smoother texture, you can puree it in a food processor or blender. BUT BE SURE IT'S ROOM TEMP BEFORE YOU DO THIS! Trust me on this one!
This freezes beautifully -- put it in plastic wear, leaving just a little room for expansion as it freezes, but so that it will freeze up to top of your container -- this way, you won't have any freezer burn.
As a little end-note, many people go to the trouble of peeling their tomatoes before making the sauce, and some even remove all the seeds. I don't bother -- takes a LOT of time to do each and I've received raves for the sauce made this way. So peel and de-seed if you must, but I don't think it's necessary at all.
