Sunday, August 29, 2010

Homemade Marinara Arrabiata (aka "angry style!")

Just picked, organic heirloom tomatoes

And...there's still a bunch of tomatoes out there, just waiting to ripen up a bit more!

I didn't put a mess of tomato plants in this spring as gettin' around the gardens was a challenge after this winter's knee replacement surgery.
But...I did manage to cram 9 in the teeny garden space.
We've been eatin' off them for a few weeks now, and no, we are not sick of them yet!
Can one ever have too many tomatoes?
I don't think so.


So...I took that big bowl you saw way up there and cut the bad spots out and roasted the mess of them, along with 3 green peppers and a couple of jalapenos and a large onion cut in big chunks, in the oven at 500 for about an hour.
After about 1/2 hour I threw in a half dozen garlic cloves.
Gotta have my garlic.

Cool a bit, till easy to handle.
Take the seeds out of the green peppers and jalapenos.
Ran the whole mess thru the food processor just to smooth it out a little.
Then I used the food mill thingy to get all the extra seeds and skin out.

Poured in a large bowl and added some olive oil, salt, and chopped basil.

This is a spicy marinara sauce, perfect for homemade pizza or dipping crusty bread into.
Or, if you love spicy, toss it in some penne pasta and top with some Parmigiano Reggiano!

I will freeze this in pint size plastic containers I purchase from the chinese restaurant down the street.
You know...the kind they pack their soups in.
They sell them to me for a quarter a piece!
And they last a LONG time.
I use mine over and over.


STORAGE TIP!

When you get your basil home from the farmers market, the CSA, or the local grocers, don't just stick it in the fridge!
Put it in a small glass and set it in a sunny window.
It will last for nearly 2 weeks like this, and look...
it even began growing roots!

Keep in touch, eh?

xoxo,
Cindy
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9 comments:

Donna said...

Oh, that sauce sure looks yummy! I hear ya on the knee replacement. It seems like there is a marked improvement by the time you get to the one-year mark. I am still having to get cortisone shots for a very stubborn tendon. Keep hanging in there and your balance on uneven ground will continue to improve!

The Three Little Bears said...

Oh yum! I'd like to do a tomato recipe this year. Maybe that is the one we will do!

Do you have the tomato chutney recipe available?

*Ulrike* said...

I had high hopes this year to do those things like sauces, etc., but our garden did very little. I've heard the same from quite a few other people in my area too about their gardens. I did make a homemade salsa today, but there's none left after my daughter & husband stopped by!

teenagehealthfreak said...

wow your tomatoes are beautiful!!! i wish my garden would have done better!! the sauce looks great as well! have a great week! :)

Rachel said...

You have been busy in the kitchen and it looks mighty tasty and good! Certainly can't get any fresher than that either! Just reading this has made my mouth water!!

Karen @ Mignardise said...

Mmmm, love the spicy kick. I better get myself over to the farmers' market the start cooking. Those beautiful tomatoes won't be around too much longer.

Susan said...

Those tomatoes look wonderful and no you can never have enough homegrown tomatoes.........I crave them..ours have been slow this your but thety are coming on now
Thanks for the basil tip I would have never known

Sue said...

Your tomatoes look great, sad to say ours are gone for the year,the heat, and humidity took its toll . Thanks for the recipe, and for the tip in basil,
I read your last post, and think dehydrating is very interesting too. Good luck, keep us posted. thanks for sharing all of your helpful information.
Hugs,
Sue

paperbird said...

this looks delicious- i am planning on cooking some up for dinner and a little extra to put in the freezer. yum!