Tomato Sauce

Homemade tomato sauce is one of the first things I learned how to make. I was a stubborn child who never asked for help and learned by making mistakes. I used to add all kinds of things to the simmering pot of tomatoes, usually a lot of cream, cheese, and herbs from my moms garden, most batches were barley edible, but I think I finally got the hang of it.

There is absolutely no reason to buy jars of tomato sauce from the store. It is the easiest to make and homemade tomato sauces taste so much better than store bought. Tonight I added ground beef, sometimes I poor half a bottle of old wine in a batch, depends on what I have in the fridge; I always use a lot of garlic.

2 28 oz cans of chopped organic tomatoes or about 5 cups of fresh tomatoes quartered. You can peel them by blanching them in boiling water for 15 seconds and then dropping them in ice water, this will pull the skin off, however, some people like tomato skin

1 onion chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic chopped

1 bay leaf

1-2 teaspoons nutmeg

1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon oil oil

1/4 cup tomato paste

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan at medium heat, when oil is hot but not smoking add chopped onion and half of chopped garlic, nutmeg, and crushed red pepper, let saute for 5-8 minutes. Once onions are clear, add canned or fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, turn heat down so that sauce is lightly bubbling but not boiling. Cook for about 1-2 hours, when liquid is cooked down to your liking.

I have been cooking with whole wheat pasta lately, because I guess it's hip, and Ben makes me. He's much healthier than I. At first I whined and wanted my white flour pasta, but I am getting used to whole wheat, and now starting to like it. What I do love, and always have is broccoli rabe, its so deliciously tart! If you like chinese broccoli you would love broccoli rabe. If it is too tart, you can always blanch it in boiling water for a few minutes and then transfer to ice water. I sauteed it with a little olive oil and lemon, and served it right on top of the pasta.