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Herb and Garlic Tomato Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "The Canning Kitchen" by Amy Bronee


Recipe Introduction

"Jars of homemade tomato sauce are one of the handiest staples in any kitchen. This recipe leaves the tomatoes slightly chunky, resulting in a rustic and versatile sauce. Use in pasta dishes, with meatballs or poured over cabbage rolls, or mix with some stock and a splash of cream for a quick and delicious creamy tomato soup."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 10 pounds tomatoes (ideally a plum variety such as Roma)
â—¦ 4 cloves garlic, crushed
â—¦ 1 tablespoon dried basil
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
â—¦ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons salt
â—¦ â…” cup cider vinegar


Recipe

With a sharp knife, score an X in the bottom of each tomato. Submerge the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then transfer immediately with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water. (You may prefer to do this in batches.) Slip off and discard the skins. Cut out and discard the firm white stem end. Gently squeeze and discard most of the juice through the hole. Crush the squeezed tomatoes with a masher in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

Stir in the garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sugar, and salt. Bring to a bubble over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and then more frequently as time progresses.

Leave the sauce chunky, or if a smooth consistency is desired, run the sauce through a blender in batches or use an immersion blender right in the pot.

Line up five clean 1-pint jars. Pour 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar into each jar. Ladle the sauce into the jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 35 minutes.

Makes five 1-pint jars



• Tip:
Tomatoes need a little acid to make their PH safe for water bath canning. Cider vinegar is delicious in tomato sauces, canned or not. However, if you prefer, instead of vinegar you could use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice in each jar.