WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU TOMATOES

One of the most frugal ways to acquire food is getting it free. You’ve heard that expression, “if life hands you lemons, make lemonade”.

In my house, when life hands me tomatoes….yes, I make marinara sauce!

A friend gave me two large, very ripe tomatoes the other day and they smelled so sweet. I wanted to savor them as far as I could stretch them so I made marinara sauce.

You’d be surprised how much sauce can be made from two tomatoes. These two were extremely juicy which is why I did not want to slice and eat them. All that precious flavor would be lost on the cutting board!

A marinara sauce is a lighter tomato sauce in color and in texture as it has no meat and does not cook for hours on end. In about 30 minutes of simmer time, I had half an 8 oz jar of sauce.

So if you have a generous neighbor or friend who has a bounty of tomatoes this time of year from the garden, consider using the tomatoes for sauce. Serve over your favorite pasta or topping for chicken parmesan and savor the flavor!

MARINARA SAUCE –

Tomatoes

Pinch sugar

Salt/red pepper flakes

Oregano/basil

 

Boil water and add tomatoes until the skin breaks apart. Place them in an ice bath for a minute to cool them down. Peel. In a large measuring cup or small bowl, remove the section of seeds. Chop the remaining tomatoes. Whirl in a blender for smooth sauce or squish with clean hands for a chunky sauce.

 

 

 

 

Sauté several cloves of crushed and diced garlic in olive oil. Add the tomatoes from the blender. Season with the remaining ingredients and cook on a simmer until sauce thickens to your desired consistency. This takes about 30 minutes. The reduction can be poured into a jar and stored in the refrigerator until ready for use.