Marinara with Fresh Tomatoes

We have sooo many tomatoes coming out of the garden right now that it's kind of ridiculous.  I've been canning tons of them - about 20 quarts so far.  I've also made about 6 quarts of homemade marinara sauce from those tomatoes and froze it, rather than canning it, although now that I think about it, I could probably make the marinara sauce and can it too.  We do have tons of onions in the garden and garlic that should be ready to harvest by the end of the month.  This is a basic marinara that can certainly be altered depending upon your preference, but I like to make it this way so that I can adjust the flavors to whatever I am making it with.  Back when I was living in Brooklyn and was given tons of ripe organic tomatoes from the place I was working, I made a salsa and canned it.  It wasn't great, but it was pretty good as a first attempt, so that may be what I'll make next.  I've also dehydrated tons of roma and cherry tomatoes for "sundried tomatoes" that I plan on reconstituting in olive oil in the winter.  Yum!  Any other tomato ideas would be appreciated!



Marinara with Fresh Tomatoes:




Fresh Tomato Marinara! So Tasty!

Fresh Tomato Marinara:
1 medium onion, small diced, about 1 1/4 cup
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes = 5 1/2 cups pureed sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
11/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme


1.  Prepare the tomatoes: wash, cut in half and remove the stem.  Chop the tomatoes into manageable pieces and  place them into the blender jar.  Blend until completely liquefied.  Set aside until ready to use.
2.  In a medium pot over medium heat, add the olive oil.  Allow it to become hot, then add the onions and garlic.  Saute for a couple minutes, or until fragrant. 
2.  Once the onions and garlic have cooked, carefully add the raw tomato puree.  Stir to combine with the veggies.  Lower the heat, add the herbs and stir again.  Allow to simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked all the way through and the sauce is flavorful and thick. 
3.  Use as desired over pasta, or wherever else you would use marinara.



Enjoy!

Koko