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I love to cook and there is nothing I like better than cooking with fresh tomatoes. I come from an Italian background so fresh tomatoes, herbs, garlic and onions were always a staple in the household. Both sets of grandparents and my parents had gardens from which to gather these ingredients and I have chosen to carry on the tradition.

Tomato sauce is a good base for many dishes and if it is not used immediately, is able to be frozen or canned. Depending upon what the dish is that you choose to serve, the extra ingredients may vary greatly. First, start with a basic sauce. I like to start of with about three pounds of fresh, ripe tomatoes. Picked from the vine is best, but even those from the grocery store are usable.

Make sure you wash and the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl. Next, pour boiling water over all of them and make sure they are completely covered. Allow the water to cool before you try to handle any of the fruit. You will find if you lightly score the outside of the tomato, the skin will peel right off. Take each tomato, remove the skin, and cut out the core. Dice each tomato into 6 pieces and place into a large pan or pot.

Turn the pot onto high until steam begins to form then turn down to a low simmer and allow the tomatoes to begin to cook down. Stir to encourage the tomatoes to break down. There is a good deal of water in tomatoes and there will be an abundance of liquid. Keep the lid off to allow the liquid to evaporate. Now that the tomatoes are cooking, it is time to turn to the herbs and basic flavors of the sauce.

I like to use fresh rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano and sage. Fresh herbs are not always available to everyone, so store bought Italian seasoning works very well. See the options below.

Herbs and Spices

Fresh herbs

1-eight inch stem of rosemary, washed, striped and chopped

4-one inch leaves each of basil, sage, and oregano washed and finely chopped

1 stem of Italian parsley washed and finely chopped

1-teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1-teaspoon fresh ground sea salt

2/3 cup chopped red onion

Six cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-cup finely chopped carrots

1-cup chopped celery

Dry herbs

1 tablespoons Italian Seasoning

1-teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1-teaspoon fresh ground sea salt or table salt

2/3 cup chopped red onion

Six cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-cup finely chopped carrots

1-cup chopped celery

Place the herbs, garlic, and onion in a separate frying pan. Add 1-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and turn on medium heat. Cook for about five minutes constantly stirring the mixture. Add cup of a dry white wine (or whatever you are drinking!) to the mixture and cover. The vegetables should cook down a bit and the onions should be translucent. Uncover and allow the wine to dry before you add it to the cooking tomatoes.

The sauce should be allowed to simmer for about an hour or until all the excess liquid has evaporated.

This can be spiced up with the addition of jalapeno peppers and visually livened up with red, yellow and orange bell peppers. The good thing about this sauce is you can add ground beef, chicken, pork or any other meat. I like to add the jalapenos and shrimp to mine.

As mentioned previously, you can freeze or can the basic sauce and use for many different dishes. Enjoy!

Learn more about this author, CD Gozzi.
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