Garden Marinara

 Ingredients:

2 easter egg baskets of homegrown heirloom beefsteak tomatoes
2 small freshly picked mildly hot peppers
2 medium freshly picked green bell peppers
1 large yellow onion
the rest of the yellow onion from last week, less the rubbery parts
3 large cloves garlic
1 generous squirt of basil from a tube
1 generous squirt of oregano from a tube
1 Bay leaf
Granulated garlic
Emeril's Bayou Blast
Salt
Pepper
Italian Red Wine Vinegar
EVOO
Ice
Water

Tools:

Vacuum sealer
Food processor
Knife
Stock pot
Heat proof spatula
Bowl
Tongs
baby spoon

Prepping the Tomatoes:

1 day to 1 week prior:

Peel and seed the tomatoes, vacuum seal and freeze them

• Cut off the stems and any blemishes
• Bring 2-3 inches of water to boil in a stock pot
• Fill a bowl with ice and water
• Submerge tomatoes in water for 10-30 seconds, then place them in the ice water
• Peel off the skin
• cut in half, across the rib pattern (like you would for a sandwich slice)
• using the baby spoon, remove the gelatinous glop and the seeds
• Place upside down on a drain to let any residual glop drain out
• Place in vacuum seal bag, vacuum seal, and freeze

This allows you to keep picking the tomatoes until you have enough for the marinara.

Cooking day:

Thaw out your tomatoes

Sweating the vegetables

While you're heating up your pan:

• Clean the peppers, removing the ribs and top.
• Cut the onion and green pepper into chunks and put them in the blender, peppers at the bottom
• Pulse until you have a nice dice, not too small
• Put a covering of EVOO in your pan
• Pick any larger pieces out of the processor and cut them with a knife
• Place in stock pot
• Salt and pepper
• Let them sweat for 5 minutes while you chop up the garlic
• Add the garlic and turn up the heat a smidge, to medium high, for another 5- 10 minutes, until all the onion juice is reduced
• Turn up the heat to high for about 30 seconds, and pull back some of the mixture to expose the bottom of the pan
• Dump about a tablespoon or two of Red Wine vinegar onto the exposed areas
• Mix well, let it cook off for about 20-30 seconds

Making the Sauce

• Cut a small hole in the top of the vacuum seal bag(s) and drain out the water
• Put about 1/3 of your tomatoes straight into the pot
• Put the rest in the food processor and puree them
• Add them to the pot
• Squeeze in some basil and oregano
• Add some granulated garlic
• Add some Bayou blast
• Throw in a Bay leaf
• Bring it up to a simmer, then reduce heat and let it reduce until it's the consistency you want.
• Taste along the way and add herbs/spices/salt/pepper as needed.

Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

You can freeze this and use it for many happy nights in the future.