Within the Lines

Italian Sauce Recipe

Thanks, Melissa, at Mulberry Lane, for the comment and request for the tomato sauce recipe.  I always appreciate hearing that someone is enjoying my postings! 

I can my tomato sauce plain for exactly the reason you mentioned; I want to be able to use it any number of ways later.  So I basically just run the cooked tomatoes thru the strainer and then I like to simmer it for ...hmmm, well, for a l-o-n-g time till it's a nice thick sauce (don't want to can a bunch of water).  I can't remember now if I added any salt of lemon juice.  I think my mom prefers to just slip the skins and can or freeze whole tomatoes so she can either blender them for sauce or chunk them for salsa.  My husband's diet needs wouldn't allow the seeds or salsa, and too I hate to have to blender and simmer them later so I prefer the puree.  If I really wanted a chunky sauce, or say, chunks of tomato in a chilli or soup, I'd probably use the dried (and frozen) cherry tomatoes I made last fall.

I used to just wing it on spaghetti sauce seasoning until my husband mentioned that his favorite (and least likely to bother him) pizza sauce was Papa John's.  I went online and found the recipe for Papa John's pizza sauce (I think it was at the Top Secret Restaurant Recipes website, but I'm not absolutely positive), and that is what I now use for basically anything Italian.  I'll bold the original recipe ingredients and then note my adjustments.

Papa John's Pizza Sauce (Copycat)

1 10-3/4 oz. can tomato puree (1 pint homemade tomato sauce/puree)

1/4 c. water (splash of water--just enough to swish/rinse the jar of residual sauce)

1 Tbsp. sugar (1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar)

1 Tbsp. olive oil (I limit to little or none--I find it unnecessary)

1/4 tsp. lemon juice (no lemon juice--husband needs low acidic)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. oregano (1/2 tsp. oregano)

1/8 tsp. thyme

1/8 tsp. basil (1/4 tsp. basil)

1/8 tsp. garlic powder (1/4 tsp. granulated garlic was my original change, but I've been having to leave the garlic out altogether as husband can no longer tolerate it; we've noticed no lacking in the flavor of the sauce, tho.)

Combine all ingredients in small saucepan.  Bring to boil; then lower heat to simmer for 15-20 min.         

Sorry if it's confusing with all my changes; I rarely follow a recipe exactly.  This is one of the few I thought I actually followed completely -- didn't know till I started copying it for you that I'd changed it so much!    I do get lots of compliments on it, tho, so hope you enjoy it as well.

Untitled Comment

{ 04:38, Friday, May 23, 2008 } { Posted by morningsunshine }

so what you are canning is basically the "tomato paste" you can buy in the store in tiny cans. Right? That is what I have decided I want to do this year. I can always add water or tomato juice or something. That is mostly what we use anyway.
so, how do you strain out the seeds and other unwanteds, and for how long do you cook the sauce until it is thick - a couple of days, a week? Do you bottle in quart jars or pints or half-pints?

Thank you!!!

{ 09:38, Friday, May 23, 2008 } { Posted by mulberrylane }

I am so excited that you shared. I have printed your post for me to refer to when my tomatoes are ripe again. Wonderful!

Warmly, ~Melissa