Friday, October 3, 2008

Spaghetti Sauce

I've made spaghetti sauce for an army. Well maybe not an army, but for the year. I thought I'd make a triple recipe in the stockpot. This is why they teach you math in High School. Had I actually used some math I would have realized that only a double recipe fits in the stock pot. I had to use the dutch oven as well for a triple recipe. Now I'm set for the winter. I didn't actually measure the oregano, rosemary, or thyme. I just threw in a sprig of each that I estimated would be a tablespoon (x3) each. I'm pretty happy with the results. I put a quart of the sauce in a gallon bag and froze the bag flat. Once frozen you can store them vertically or horizontally in your freezer. This is based extremely loosely on the Italian Tomato Sauce recipe in the "Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines".
*2nd year- I don't know what happened, but the sauce has a weird taste. I think it is the red wine I used. Barefoot Merlot. I added an extra 28 oz can of tomatoes to a double batch and some extra sugar. I also pureed some of the sauce with a immersion blender. I hope I like it better when I take some out of the freezer. Blerg!

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
1 28 oz can tomato puree
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained (save juice) and chopped
2 c red wine
2 yellow onions, minced
1 carrot, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 whole cloves (I used 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
2 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 T salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 T fresh basil, chopped
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1 T fresh oregano. chopped
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 T fresh thyme, chopped

Saute the garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, celery, and carrots. (Since I was making a huge batch I sauteed these in a frying pan separately and then added to the pot.) Add the remaining ingredients (except basil). Bring to a light boil and then simmer for 2 hours, partly covered. Near the end of the 2 hours, add the basil.

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