Tomato Sauce

Fresh homegrown tomatoes are one of the joys of life but in winter, I like to make this tomato sauce with canned tomatoes. Diced tomatoes are convenient but canned whole tomatoes have better flavour because it's more likely you won't get any unripe, green tomatoes mixed in. If you use whole tomatoes, mash and chop them up yourself in the pot as they cook, or put them in a bowl and use your hands to crush them before cooking.

You can also use bottled tomato puree and add a little tomato paste for thickening.

Now that two of my children are at college, this recipe makes enough for one meal with left-overs to freeze. Doubled, the recipe makes enough sauce for 4 pasta dinners for 4. Freeze the extra sauce.

Use a soup ladle to transfer cooled sauce from the pot into freezable containers or zip-lock bags (these save space in the freezer.)  One drawback to freezing tomato sauce in reusable plastic containers is that the sauce sometimes stains the plastic a reddish tint that's hard to get out, even after soaking in vinegar and baking soda.

Tomato Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped fine
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• Two 28-oz (796 ml) cans diced tomatoes (Italian plum tomatoes or regular, as you like)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil in season, or 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano in season, or 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like spicy sauce)
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and stir in the onion and garlic till softened.
2. Add the tomatoes, including the liquid from the can, and stir in the herbs.
3. Turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat to simmer 10-20 minutes.
4. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

As a change from pasta, try adding the tomato sauce to chicken breasts or pork chops cooked in a pan with sliced onion and peppers (green, orange, yellow, red), mushrooms, slivered carrots, and/or sliced zucchini, serve with cooked rice or barley.

Pizzaiola Sauce

Makes enough tomato sauce for 1 lb. of pasta.

Half of this recipe is enough to make Veal Scallopine (2 lb. of thinly sliced veal fried in 6 Tbsp. olive oil, salted and peppered and topped with this sauce.

• 1-1.2 lbs plum tomatoes, peeled and diced OR 3 cups canned Italian peeled tomatoes, diced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp parsley

1. Saute garlic in oil until golden, do not let brown. Remove garlic from the pan.
2. Add tomatoes and seasonings to the oil and cook uncovered over medium flame about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Marinara Sauce

• olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• dry red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp oregano
• chopped parsley
• 1-2 oz white wine
• 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
• pinch sugar
• 1 Tbsp chopped basil

1. Cover bottom of pan with oil.
2. Cook garlic with bay leaf, parsley, white wine 2-3 minutes.
3. Crush the tomatoes.
4. Add tomatoes with juices, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sugar, oregano, basil.
5. Cover pot and bring to boil.
6. Turn down to simmer 1/2 hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.