Tomato Sauce

Every year towards the end of summer, I am enticed by boxes of gorgeous Roma tomatoes.  I think it's the thought of summer finally being at it's wit's end, pulling off it's leaves in frustration.  I begin to think of simmering pots, sweaters, and sauce.  Lots of sauce.

Back in the days of cable, I watched a show on TLC called Cake Boss.  (And thank you, Netflix, for renewing my Hoboken accent).  Crazy thing is - that of all the episodes I watched, the one that made the most impact was when the kitchen was taken over by the Italian family making sauce.  They bought GOBS of Romas and basil, and I envied their big wooden spoon.  I searched in vain for that recipe online, but to no avail.  For the past two years I have made up my own version.  Of course, I always screw up the first two batches or so, but the final version is worth it. Here's my take on sauce:

• Buy copious amounts of Romas.  I have spent between $8-10 for 25 pounds at the farmer's market.
• Grab a pot ( a dutch oven tends to be my choice) and set it on the stove with enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  Measurable depths are personal choice.
• Mince fresh garlic, 4-6 cloves or so, and let it sweat along with the oil.  Keep it on low, b/c you don't want to burn the garlic. 
• Cut up the Romas into quarters (skin on) and fill the pot with the cut pieces.  You want to fill it to the top, but be able to put a lid on it. 
• Cook on medium-high heat until the skins begin to come away from the tomato flesh. 
• Let cool enough to be able to sink your hands into the pot and pull away the loose skins.  (Factoid: my hands got a mini- treatment from this for about 7 nights in a row- they looked and felt awesome!!)
• Process the tomatoes in the pot with an immersion blender and throw the whole mess into Mason Jars.  I freeze mine out of laziness, but you could also process them for pantry storage.

That's it!  We use this sauce for pasta, sandwiches, pizza sauce, you name it.  And the great thing about it is  that you can transform it however you like.  For pizza sauce I will generally reduce it further on the stove and add some fennel and oregano.  Give it a try!