To answer a question I was asked--to skin fresh tomatoes w/o roasting them, pour boiling water over them & let them set a minute, the skins will slip right off. If you're only doing a few, you can scrape the skin w/a knife blade & it sort of bruises it & also makes it easier to peel.
Mom's Italian Tomato Sauce
3 stalks celery
1 bell pepper
1 onion
3 cloves peeled garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 large can tomatoes (or 10-12 fresh peeled)
4 cans (12 oz) water
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons sugar (start with 1 & then add to taste; some people like their sauce sweeter than others)
1 teaspoon sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
fresh finely chopped mint if you can get it.
Saute' onions, bell pepper, celery & garlic in olive oil. Add tomato paste, stirring often for about 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients, let come to a boil, lower fire & cook 1-2 hours, add liquid if it gets too thick. Serves 4-6, easy to double, freezes well.
Meatballs
3 pounds ground meat
3 ounces Italian breadcrumbs
4 eggs
4 ounces grated Romano cheese
2 medium chopped onions
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 stalks finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon sweet basil
a generous dash of salt & pepper
finely chopped fresh mint if you can get it.
Mix all ingredients, shape into balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; turning after 15 minutes. makes about 20 meatballs. freezes well.
Family variations:
Johnsonville hot or sweet Italian sausage grilled is a nice substitute for meatballs.
Pepperoni slices also make a nice & different variation.
You can add fresh mushrooms or artichoke hearts or black olives & change up the flavor if you like.
We like to add fresh basil leaves when we have them; remember you need to use 2-3 times as much as dried basil if you do so.
For the smoked tomato sauce, as I said in my tomato soup post, line a baking pan w/tin foil, toss tomatoes & peeled garlic cloves with olive oil, a pinch of thyme & basil, & roast at about 450 for about 30-45 minutes--until they start to char black slightly. Then remove & slip the peels off the tomatoes & squeeze the garlic paste out of the cloves & add that to your sauce.
In a time crunch; I've started with Paul Newman's Sockarooni or Ragu 7-Herb for my 'base' & added the smoked tomatoes & garlic & it came out very well.
Hope this helps; any questions please PM me & I'll try to answer in a logical form!
Mom's Italian Tomato Sauce
3 stalks celery
1 bell pepper
1 onion
3 cloves peeled garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 large can tomatoes (or 10-12 fresh peeled)
4 cans (12 oz) water
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons sugar (start with 1 & then add to taste; some people like their sauce sweeter than others)
1 teaspoon sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
fresh finely chopped mint if you can get it.
Saute' onions, bell pepper, celery & garlic in olive oil. Add tomato paste, stirring often for about 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients, let come to a boil, lower fire & cook 1-2 hours, add liquid if it gets too thick. Serves 4-6, easy to double, freezes well.
Meatballs
3 pounds ground meat
3 ounces Italian breadcrumbs
4 eggs
4 ounces grated Romano cheese
2 medium chopped onions
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 stalks finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon sweet basil
a generous dash of salt & pepper
finely chopped fresh mint if you can get it.
Mix all ingredients, shape into balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; turning after 15 minutes. makes about 20 meatballs. freezes well.
Family variations:
Johnsonville hot or sweet Italian sausage grilled is a nice substitute for meatballs.
Pepperoni slices also make a nice & different variation.
You can add fresh mushrooms or artichoke hearts or black olives & change up the flavor if you like.
We like to add fresh basil leaves when we have them; remember you need to use 2-3 times as much as dried basil if you do so.
For the smoked tomato sauce, as I said in my tomato soup post, line a baking pan w/tin foil, toss tomatoes & peeled garlic cloves with olive oil, a pinch of thyme & basil, & roast at about 450 for about 30-45 minutes--until they start to char black slightly. Then remove & slip the peels off the tomatoes & squeeze the garlic paste out of the cloves & add that to your sauce.
In a time crunch; I've started with Paul Newman's Sockarooni or Ragu 7-Herb for my 'base' & added the smoked tomatoes & garlic & it came out very well.
Hope this helps; any questions please PM me & I'll try to answer in a logical form!
