Step #1. Start with a large cooler full of ripe, red tomatoes. If you have none, call me, and I shall give you my leftovers. I am done. Kaput. That's all she wrote. Get thee behind me, tomatoes. They are yours for the taking...
Step #2. Use an apple peeler to core the tomatoes, and cut them into large-ish chunks, with the help of some pajama-clad deliciousness.
Step #3. Load up your stockpot, five or six tomatoes at a time - keeping it at a nice, steady boil the entire time.
Step #4. Boil your maters until they are all nice and soft - just a bunch of tomato goosh.
Step #5. Working in small batches, take your tomato puree and run it through a foley mill, or an applesauce mill if you have one. This will remove all of the skins and seeds - just leaving the juice and pulp. You don't really want the seeds in your sauce, as the longer your sauce sits, the more bitter it can become - because of the seeds. (So, the experts say. Is it the truth? I know not).
Step #6. Set your puree aside to cool a bit. Meanwhile, take some fresh herbs and spices - oregano, basil, and parsley for starters - and chop up as much as you'd like for your big vat of yum.
Step #7. Chop up whatever meat and/or veggies you'd like to go into your sauce, and sautee in some olive oil until nice and soft. I did mushrooms, onions, garlic, green peppers, summer squash, carrots, and zucchini.
Step #8. Throw everything back into your pot, along with some tomato paste, tons of cheese, some sea salt, and a bit of sugar if you so desire, and let it cook down, and down, and down for the rest of the afternoon.
Step #9. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, begin to clean up the atrocious mess that you may or may not have just made in your kitchen.
Step #10. Remind yourself that "haste makes waste" and work a little more slowly so as to avoid adding insult to injury.
Step #11. Think pleasant thoughts, and consider ordering take out for supper.
Step #12. When your sauce has boiled down at least a couple of inches, begin the taste test process and gather all the little hoolies to add their input of what might be needed to make said sauce just a wee bit more delish.
Step #13. Load up your pressure canner and process away for as long as your recipe dictates.
Step #14. Gather previously above mentioned hoolies to come and "ooh" and "aah" at all of your hard work and to extol the virtues of your awesomeness.
Step #15. Change your mind about take out, and instead boil up some noodles and have yourself some delicousness for supper.
Step #16. Remind yourself that you are done with your tomatoes...
Step #17. And then step away from the tomatoes.
Step #18. Or...ponder making homemade ketchup.....
1 comment:
haha, love you! This is funny, and also informational. :) I don't have a pressure cooker and I've never learned the other way, so I've never canned. Someday...
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