Carol, are you going to freeze this or eat it fresh? When I'm freezing tomatoes for sauce I don't add anything to them so the contents are more versatile when I go to use them over the winter. I just cook them down, put them through the tomato machine, cook them down some more and then freeze in quart bags.

When I'm making sauce I usually start off with Italian sausage and then add the tomato puree after the sausages are mostly cooked. They give the sauce a very nice flavor, but I also add basil, oregano, and garlic, and often a dash of red wine - and always some sugar, which makes the taste smoother and richer and less acid. I never use salt because the tomatoes don't seem to need it.

If you're just making meatless sauce, I'd sauté some garlic in olive oil and then cook the herbs a minute or two with the oil and garlic before I added the pureed or crushed tomatoes. Add sugar and wine to taste; since I don't know how much you're making it's hard for me to tell you the amount. Another thing that adds a lot of flavor is fennel; I'd probably crush it before adding it but you could probably leave it whole. Start with a half or full teaspoonful to see how you like it. I always add fennel to my Italian sausage when I'm making it with deer meat and pork.

This recipe is my only tomato sauce since I discovered it a couple of years ago. If I were using fresh tomatoes, I would drop each tomato down in boiling water for just a few seconds, then put in an ice bath to chill; the skin peels off very easily after and you can chunk the tomatoes without the skin into your pot to cook. Use an immersion blender or a food processor to buzz the sauce smooth after it has finished cooking. You may have to simmer a little longer to get the thickness you want when using fresh tomatoes. You will want at least two quarts of chopped fresh tomatoes.

Simple Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Serves:
6 cups

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
* 4 to 6 basil leaves
* 2 dried bay leaves
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Directions

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

I forgot to mention the bay leaf for my version. I don't use onions or carrots or celery, though; my husband is Italian and I use his family's recipe, which doesn't call for those.

This one is easy and so delicious!

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup white wine

1. In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.
3. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I'm glad riverfarm doesn't use the veggies either. I'd really wonder if I had been doing something wrong. If I don't have Italian sausage I add some crushed fennel seed along with the oregano, bay leaf & garlic.

This one is really good, from a friend's sister. She has been canning it for years, but based on the opinions of the master canners on this forum, I guess it's safer to freeze it.

MaryÂs Spaghetti Sauce

Wash, core and remove blemishes from approx. 10lb of tomatoes. Cook in large heavy bottomed pot until they are mushy and have lots of liquid. Process through a food mill placed over a large bowl to remove skins and seeds. Place the juice in a very large kettle, add the following:

1-1/2 to 2 c chopped onion
3-6 garlic cloves ,minced
4 6oz cans of tomato paste
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
2 c zucchini, chopped
2 T salt
1/4 c sugar
1 T fennel seed
1 T dried oregano
3 T Olive Oil
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
2 bay leaves

Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or to desired thickness, stirring often.

Ladle into hot canning jars and process 25 minutes at 10lb pressure.

Makes 3-4 quarts.

Linda