I love this time of year when we blessed enough to be enjoying an abundance of fresh local produce! I grew my own tomatoes this year and I have to say I did a really great job of it! (Not to brag or anything!) I took advantage of some of them, as well as some which I bought to make up the difference, to make a delicious homemade crock-pot marinara sauce.
There is no greater taste on earth than fresh garden tomatoes, picked and eaten on the day with the warmth of the sun still on their skins. A delicious sauce made with them is also a real treat and even more so when you take advantage of the slow cooker and let it do all the work for you!
I like to peel my tomatoes first. It's quite easily to do. You just cut a small x into the base of the tomato opposite the stem end and plunge them into boiling water for a couple minutes, scoop them out into cold water and you will notice the skin already beginning to peel back from the x. Just take a sharp knife and the skins should slip right off with no problem.
I also like to scrape out and discard the seeds before cooking. This peeling and scraping makes a bit more work, but it saves work at the end. You can just cook the sauce with the skins and seeds, but then you would have to put it through a food mill at the end and to me it is just simpler to remove them from the very beginning.
I also prefer my sauce to be a bit on the chunky side rather than pureed, so its just what works best for me. The longer you cook it, the thicker it gets, and the more concentrated the flavours.
I like to sweeten mine with a bit of honey, but you can leave this out as well if your tomatoes aren't that sharp. For myself, I really enjoy a bit of sweetness. In any case I do hope you will give this a go and that you will enjoy it! If you don't have your own grown tomatoes, you could substitute 4 small tins of chopped tomatoes (14 ounce tins/400g), or two larger ones, undrained. (28 ounce tins) Enjoy!
*Crock-Pot Marinara Sauce* Makes 2 pints or 4 cups Printable Recipe
This makes a great all round tomato sauce with lovely flavor. The longer you cook it the thicker it will get. I think it is delicious. I like to freeze it in half pint/1 cup containers. It's a great way to use up the glut of tomatoes in the garden!
5 to 6 pounds ripe plum tomatoes60ml red wine (1/4 cup)3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped1 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive oil1 bay leaf2 TBS chopped fresh parsley1 TBS chopped fresh basil1 tsp chopped fresh oregano1 tsp chopped fresh thyme1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemarypinch red pepper flakessalt and black pepper to taste1 TBS honey to sweeten if desired
Prepare your tomatoes by cutting an x in the bottom of each and blanching them for 2 minutes in boiling water. Remove and plunge into cold water. Peel and discard the skins. (The skins should slip off very easily.) Cut into quarters. Scrape out and discard any seeds. Place into a large crockpot along with the garlic, onions, carrots, olive oil and herbs. Drizzle with the wine and olive oil. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Mash the tomatoes down with a potato masher. Cover again and cook for a further 4 to 6 hours until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Add the honey and heat through.
As the Italians would say Buon Appetito!!
