cw (06/27/82)
Fresh Italian Tomato Sauce Ingredients 2 doz fresh tomatoes 2-3 chopped onions 2-3 Tbl olive oil or butter 2-3 cup red wine 1-2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt 1-2 tsp oregano 1/2-1 tsp sage (optional) 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 2 crumbled bay leaves 1 tsp cinnamon 6 cloves crushed garlic Method Clean the tomatoes. They may be skinned by being dipped in boiling water; certainly you must cut out stems and bad spots and you must squeeze out the jelly and seeds. Saute the onions in the oil in a large pot. When the onions are lightly browned, add the tomatoes, wine, spices, and garlic. If you like, you can also add similar quantities of marjoram, rosemary, or basil. Bring the sauce to a mild boil and simmer for several hours until reduced by perhaps one fourth. Remove the sauce from the heat and cool until you can handle it safely. Pass the sauce through a blender or food processor several cups at a time and through a coarse sieve. You must do this if you did not skin the tomatoes; this step will pill the skins in the strainer. Return the sauce to the pot for further cooking. Simmer the sauce again until reduced to about 2/3 of the original volume. Check the acid/sugar balance and add either (or both) 1-2 tsp of sugar or up to 1 Tbl of red wine or cider vinegar. Recheck the spices. If you use canned tomatoes, the sugar and vinegar will very likely be necessary. Cool sauce and use as desired. Notes All the quantities in this recipe are approximate. Use good sense and taste often. The red wine should be a reasonable quality jug or table wine; wines with a fair quantity of sugar will do no harm.