Tomato Sauce

It's going to be a tomato-y summer, people. I have somewhere between 9 and 15 tomato plants growing at the speed of....well, plants. Come August, it's going to be a canning-saucing-caprese-bruschetta-PALOOZA! Today's post is dedicated to a quick, simple tomato sauce of mine. Don't ever buy a can of crappy pasta sauce again. Seriously, this takes 20 minutes. I'm begging you.

It can be used on pasta, pizza, veggies, rice or used as a dip for fried treats...or anything else you can think of! The world is your oyster...er...tomato.

Super secret hint...that "fried food", I mentioned? Stay tuned for the next post....

You'll need...

A can of good tomatoes (San Marzanos, please!)
Onion (just half)
2-4 cloves garlic (depending upon size and personal preference)
2 bay leaves
Red chile flakes, marjoram, oregano and basil
Salt and pepper

I have fresh basil and oregano right now, so I used that. Dried is most definitely acceptable, however! I use approximately a half teaspoon each of basil, oregano and marjoram when I use dried herbs, and just a shake of the chile flakes. For fresh herbs, I used 7 or 8 leaves of basil and 3 sprigs of oregano.

If you're really freaked out by herbs, start off small and keep tasting. Use a 1/4 teaspoon measure and keep track of what you add, so you know just how much you like. The next time you make a recipe, you'll have a better idea of what to add right off the bat.

Start by dicing up half of an onion. I ran my knife through mine a few times, I wanted it pretty fine because I plan on using this as a dip. Go ahead and mince up the garlic as well.

Super secret hint #2...I used the other half of the onion as part of the "fried food" I mentioned.

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute a few minutes until fragrant and softened. Add garlic, and let saute about a minute. If you're feeling crazy, and have an open bottle of wine hanging around, add a splash. I always do...I don't know what that says about me.
 Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes, herbs and seasonings. Let simmer 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pro Tip #1: Season in "layers". This dish is basically two layers, sauteed onion and tomato. If you season the onions after a few minutes of cooking, then season again when the next layer is added, everything has a more well-rounded flavor. Once again, if you're new to cooking and aren't so keen with eyeballing measurements...this might be terrifying. So start simple. A bit of salt and pepper on the onions, then add the rest of your herbs when the tomatoes go in. Phew! Not so bad...

Pro Tip #2: Fresh herbs can be kind of wacky to chop. Don't hack at them willy-nilly...you'll probably poke out your eye or something. The trick to basil is stacking the leaves, rolling them like a cigar, then chopping. That gives you a "chiffonade", which is a fancy name for "leafy ribbons". For things like oregano or thyme, you'll want to pop the leaves off of the woodsy stalk before giving them a chop.

Oh! Hey finished product...don't you look nice. I'll be making this recipe again later in the summer with fresh tomatoes. In the mean time, stay tuned to see what gets dipped in this sauce!

Mm-mmmmm,

Cait