homemade pasta sauce -- sooo much better than store bought!

[Flaxbee]

sheesh - if only I'd known this years ago.

I was just using up a few things in the house before they went bad so I tossed garlic and onion into olive oil to sautee, then added two fresh chopped tomatoes (big ones - probably the size of 3-4 medium tomatoes), one can of unsalted diced tomatoes, a little more olive oil, fresh basil, several healthy shakes of red pepper and tabasco sauce, balsamic vinegar (about 2 tbsp) and some salt and pepper.

Brought to a simmer, let cook for 45 minutes, then popped it all in the food processor with about 7-8 pitted kalamata olives, and then I just dumped in the rest of the sauteed mushrooms and onions from last night to clean out the fridge. Would have been fine w/o the added mushrooms. And a few fresh mint leaves - it grows like crazy outside our back porch. Processed it all together, added it to some angel hair pasta and sprinkled fresh Parmesan on it.

And it really didn't take that long - maybe 10 minutes prep, then just the time to simmer.

Mostly I'm just pissed off at all the additives in food, not knowing where it's coming from, etc. - so I'm experimenting with ways to make a wide variety of meals with stuff bought from the farmer's market almost exclusively.

Anyway. Boring thread. Just thought I'd share. :hi:

[datasuspect]

1. paulie had this way of slicing the garlic with a razor blade that made it dissolve

when it cooked.


"hey paulie, i didn't put too much onjuns in the sauce."

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Yeah, once you make a marinara it's hard to go back to that jarred stuff.

The saltiness of most commercial sauces is what made me stop buying them years ago. You'll have fun experimenting with other ingredients. Lots of vegetable combos work and if you're out of olives a few capers will do for giving it that earthy, salty flavor. If you're not vegetarian, any small amount of leftover cooked meat can go in for flavor (assuming that it wasn't seasoned in a way that would clash, that is.)