This is still my favorite. From Ellie Topp's Small Batch Preserving. CHUNKY BASIL PASTA SAUCE 8 cups coarsely chopped peeled tomatoes -- (about 9-12 tomatoes or 4 lb) 1 cup chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 2/3 cup red wine 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon pickling salt 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 6-oz can tomato paste Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt, sugar and tomato paste in a very large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim Process 35 minutes for pint jars and 40 minutes for quart jars in a BWB. Makes 8 cups. Steve

Thankyou, Dave There does seem to be enough vinegar in the recipe. As for the celery, that is what I had written down back then, and it did seem to be a lot. I buy our celery from Costco, that is pre-trimmed and bagged. Of that, I used about 10-12 stalks. I used a total of 10 sweet peppers. Oh yes, I also sprinkled some bottled lemon juice on the peppers and celery- I am guessing about a 1/4 cup total? To cook the sauce down, I used my electric roaster and after it was all processed I wondered if even that had been a safe way to cook it! Having a glass-top stove, I didn't want to push my luck with huge pots going all day long, so used the roaster to do the cooking. In the past couple of weeks since making this, I have learned it is best to follow more recent and approved recipes. This particular one is nostalgic, though, so I just wanted to make sure it's a safe one.

Here you go. Posted by Chase - Recipe Exchange Here are two recipes I use. I can mine but it may be frozen or just made up for a meal. Divide the recipe as required. Plain Italian Tomato Sauce 24 cups smooshed tomatoes whirred smoothish * 2 cups finely minced celery 2 cups finely minced onion 1 1/2 cups finely minced carrot (use just one for a bit less sweet I use 1 1/2) 12 TBSP bottles lemon juice 2 TBSP coarse salt Note: For one batch I sub hot peppers for some of the carrot and celery, just so I have a piquante sauce as well. Herbed Tomato Sauce 24 cups smooshed tomatoes whirred smoothish * 4 - 5 cups chopped herbs of your choice 12 TBSP bottled lemon juice 2 TBSP coarse salt. I use Basil, oregano and parsley but you can use only one or two or three and you don't need to use equal amounts, in other words you can go 2/3 basil 1/3 parsley. For all of them bring to a rolling boil and then lower heat to a high simmer , you want to see some action but not a full boil. After coming to the boil a foam will form, skim it off. Place your jars in the dishwasher , when the jars are done so is the sauce. I generally cook about an hour , you can go longer. I don't like to cook less than an hour 'cause I want some thickening to take place while canning so it doesn't need to much cook time when I use it. Fill jars as normal. HWB for 30 minutes. * I break the tomatoes with my hands and then use a hand blender to smooth some more. You could use a food processor. I do not seed my tomatoes but you could. Other Notes: You can vary the amounts of each of veggie (celery, onion and carrots) as long as the end result does not exceed 5 1/2 cups of veggies to 24 cups of tomatoes. Some commented that they would cut down the carrots (too sweet) and increase the onions by that same amount.

I've been watching this post all day....wondering how to answer. I have made wonderful sauce from fresh tomatoes....but because of the differences in sweetness and moisture....there is really no "recipe" that turns out the same twice. In my big stock pot, I put a swirl of olive oil and 2 chopped yellow onions. Not sweet onions, just yellow onions.....and one big or 2 small green peppers....again chopped fairly small.....cook slowly until soft and add 4 or 5 big cloves of garlic, grated or chopped, cook a minute and start dumping in peeled and cored tomatoes, perhaps cut into quarters....add about 4 quarts of peeled tomatoes, simmer, stirring occasionally....and while it is simmering add 2 or 3 bay leaves, about 1/4 cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley, another 1/4 cup (or more!) fresh chopped basil and about 2 T fresh oregano leaves....and because I like it to cling to my pasta, I add a 6 oz can of Continadina tomato paste.....and about a cup of dry red wine. Simmer a couple of hours until it thickens and reduces some....taste....add salt as needed.....is ti too sweet ( probably unless your tomatoes were not dead ripe) add a little red wine vinegar.....taste....more vinegar? More salt?....Then I add a little ground roasted red pepper.....just to give it a wee tiny bite. It will be very seedy....some say to seed the tomatoes before making, but you lose a lot of that good tomato flavor by doing that. Then I freeze the sauce and use it as a base for tomato red pepper soup, meat sauce, chicken cacciatore etc etc. With the variation in cultivars and soil and growing conditions for the tomatoes.....there can not really be a recipe....just a rough ingredient list. Linda C