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Monday, October 21, 2013

Nonna's Homemade Tomato Sauce ( Italian Sunday Gravy ) ♥

Here is an authentic family Italian recipe for traditional Italian tomato sauce. It fills the house full of beautiful aromas! Great for any Italian dish as a base, this sauce is sure to be a family favorite in your own house!





Ingredients


2 yellow onions, peeled and diced 9 about 2 cups)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves of fresh garlic minced ( about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp fresh or dry herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme ( see note below)
1/2 cup dry red wine
12 cups fresh ripe tomatoes peeled and seeded
salt and pepper to taste

carrot Directions

 In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the onions, and cook slowly on medium heat until they start to caramelize. They should be evenly brown and soft. Cooking them this way brings out the natural sweetness in the onions. Add the garlic and dried herbs, and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with a half of cup of the dry red wine, cook for 2 more minute. Add the tomatoes and their juice and stir to combine. Secret! (  which is to throw a piece of a carrot in to the sauce while it is cooking to absorb the acidity of the tomatoes and create a sweeter sauce.) Bring to a simmer and cook on low, stirring occasionally for at least 2 hours, or longer depending on the water content of the tomatoes. The sauce should be thick, with much of the water evaporated to concentrate the flavor. ( sometimes I let it cook for 4-5 hours over a very low flame. ) Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! 

NOTE If you want to use fresh herbs, then add them at the end of the cooking process, just before serving. Use whichever those herbs you prefer for a total of 2 Tbsp.
NOTE Start with 4-5 lbs. of fresh, ripe tomatoes. If you don't have fresh ones you may use 2 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes. I can of 28 ounce whole tomatoes, and 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste. When I use canned tomatoes, I always add a couple of tbsp. of sugar, to counteract with the acidity of the canned tomatoes.

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