About Me

My photo
I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

Translator!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Getting Sauced Or Marinara In Winter

Last summer, as you may recall, was brutally warm.  Somehow making fresh marinara sauce and then canning it just did not appeal to me. (It was no accident that old time canning kitchens were outdoors -- separate from the kitchen.)  So as we harvested tomatoes, we washed, quartered and froze them with the intent of getting to the canning part in October.

I actually got to it three days ago when I pulled eight bags of frozen tomatoes from the freezer and began to defrost them.  When they thawed, I pureed them in the food processor and then sieved the puree to free it from seeds and toughened skin.  I added my secret ingredients (basil, crushed garlic and olive oil) and simmered the sauce for about a day until it cooked down.





Meanwhile, I put the jars in the dishwasher to sterilize and the lids into water to boil.



After the sauce had cooked down, I put in the rest of the secret ingredients (grated locatelli, more basil, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of brown sugar (fresh tomatoes can be acidy -- brown sugar helps negate the acid).

And here are the fruits of my labor...Now bring on the spaghetti!


22 comments:

Tracy said...

OH WOW Kathy!
How cool is that; good for you :)
It brings back so many memories of my mom canning anything and everything; tomatoes, corn, peaches, she made jellies....I'm impressed girl!
so when is dinner?

Purple Flowers said...

I'll bring any type of pasta your heart desires!! That sauce looks GREAT! Lucky husband.

Jay said...

Looks like a lot of work. But, I bet it's really tasty!

happyone said...

Looking at those pots on the stove I can almost smell it. Looks delicious.

Sally Wessely said...

Good for you! I have not canned for nearly 30 years. I put up a lot of tomatoes in my day. I love home canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. I really do want to get back to doing that next year.

I've never frozen the tomatoes before. I guess I had no idea you could do this. Good idea! Save them up for a cold winter day when the fresh smell of the sauce will really be welcomed and you won't melt while you process food in the heat of summer.

Linda Reeder said...

I freeze tomatoes too. I just wash plum tomatoes and put them in zip lock bags and toss in the freezer. Then I just take out a few to add to soups or stew. Just rinse the skins off under hot water, chop a bit and throw in the pot still frozen. Works great.
Your sauce looks great.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

That looks like some good eatin'.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's a lot of pasta sauce and so nice that it's from your own tomoatoes. Good for you Kathy! Makes me want to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner this week.

Lena said...

Good for you! My family used to do the canning outdoors on the farm. It was fun as we would all help out.

You impressed me!!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Sounds good, Kathy... Why not do your canning in the winter when it's not so dad-gum hot????? SMART move..

Looks like you have enough marinara for about a week or two... ha ha ha

Hugs,
Betsy

George said...

I'll be right over! That marinara sauce looks delicious!

Mage said...

Oh, I am so impressed by you. Look at all the goodies. You let the secrets out tho. The mother of an old Italian friend gave me her recipe for Sphagetti sauce long ago. Pork chops, chicken, and sausages livened up a sauce cooked all day.....plus a pinch of sugar.

Cheryl said...

A labor of love. One that you'll enjoy for a while. It's been so long since I've done any real cooking. You house must have smelled SO good.

Cobalt Violet said...

You are one fabulous chick! And Yum! I am so hungry now!

Seth M. Ward said...

that's alot of sauce! I thought I was looking at a meal instead of canning when I first saw the picture, but alas I was wrong as I read the post! I'll be by asap for a free meal:D

Kay said...

This is so totally impressive. The only thing I've ever bottled is strawberries that we picked at a farm in Wisconsin. That sauce looks delicious! Yum!

Gilly said...

That sauce looks and sounds wonderful! And you have obviously worked very hard.

But why is the right hand saucepan in the first photo jumping up and down on the burner?? ;)

And how many lbs of tomatoes made all those jars of sauce?? Just asking - not that we grow tomatoes, but you never know!

cri said...

Hy Kathy!! Did you eat spaghetti? I love tomatoes.
It' s very cold here, and my scooter is waiting for me....
I've made a reserve for the hotel and the tickets for airplain to London are ready!!! I'm so happy!!!!
Have a great sunday!!!!

Rick Rockhill said...

OMG that sounds fabulous. Wish I were going to be here when you visit, I'd have you to dinner and ask for a jar in exchange!

beachgirl said...

I remember canning every summer with my Nana. Tomatoes were time consuming and hot during the summer. But we canned everything we could. Food for the winter for a family of 9.

jane said...

wow kathy! that´s impressive! we freeze red peppers. i never heard of freezing tomatoes. your sauce sounds wonderful!
xxx

Anonymous said...

I'll bet it's yummy and so handy to have extra in the house for when you need it!

Di