Chapter I: The Basics v. Oven Roasted Tomatoes
A few weeks ago the thought occurred to me that it was high time I made a red sauce. After all, this is a blog about Italian cooking and there is scarcely an Italian recipe that does not call for red sauce.
For most of my adult life I have been daunted by the idea of making a homemade Italian sauce. See, in my home growing up one would never find a jar of store bought tomato sauce. It simply was not something we would ever buy. My grandmother and my mother made all of our sauce from scratch (I can't even fathom how this was possible - my mother taught full-time my whole life and I, also a teacher, can hardly find the energy to heat myself a chicken nugget at the end of a school day). We were lucky; our house was often filled with the delicious fragrance of red sauce simmering on the stove top. It was always made in a pot so large it seemed like whoever was cooking would have to reach up and over to stir it with the wooden spoon (though I'm sure my memory is exaggerating its size just a bit); whatever we didn't eat that night would be divided into Tupperware and frozen for later use. I remember when I moved out of my parents' house for the first time it took a lot for me to be able to buy pasta sauce in the store and to date I have not found one that I like - it still feels like cheating.
From what I remember, making the sauce was somewhat of an ordeal. A blender was involved as were various skillets, fresh herbs, spices, and meats. It seemed...complex. And that's not even to mention the meatballs, which were always cooked in tandem and thrown in the pot, to give flavor to the sauce while it sat for hours simmering on the stove nor the braciole which was also frequently made in tandem with the red sauce.
Needless to say, I need to work up to this. However, a few weeks ago I was feeling ambitious and bought about a pound and a half of Roma tomatoes. A good start to my sauce, I thought to myself as I jauntily exited the market.
Well, a few days went by, and then a few more...we got busy with work, it turned cold, and I lost my motivation.
Trying not to feel down on myself and really not wanting the tomatoes to go to rot on the counter top, I tried to think of what I could do. Why not just coat them in olive oil and garlic and throw them in the oven? the tiny Italian voice in my head said. Never wanting to doubt my inner Italian, I decided to go for it.
Who would have thought that six Roma tomatoes, sliced in half, coated in oil, minced garlic, salt pepper, and thyme and then baked at a low temperature for 2.5 hours would be easiest, most delicious snack I'd ever tasted? I can tell that this is going to be a staple item in our home from now on and I couldn't be more pleased to have something so simple in my repertoire for those (frequent) nights when I just need something I can count on. And can you image topping them with sardines? Or - dare I say it - tossing them with pasta? Hmm...did I inadvertently just make the base for my first tomato sauce?
More on that later - stay tuned for when I eventually try a real sauce....
Recipe:
Six Roma tomatoes, halved
Olive Oil (I didn't measure, but about 1/2 cup)
Tbs. salt
Tbs. pepper
Tbs. Thyme
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Add salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme to olive oil in a large bowl.
Toss with tomatoes to coat.
Bake for 2. 5 hours.
Top with fresh basil.
Devour with crusty bread.
For most of my adult life I have been daunted by the idea of making a homemade Italian sauce. See, in my home growing up one would never find a jar of store bought tomato sauce. It simply was not something we would ever buy. My grandmother and my mother made all of our sauce from scratch (I can't even fathom how this was possible - my mother taught full-time my whole life and I, also a teacher, can hardly find the energy to heat myself a chicken nugget at the end of a school day). We were lucky; our house was often filled with the delicious fragrance of red sauce simmering on the stove top. It was always made in a pot so large it seemed like whoever was cooking would have to reach up and over to stir it with the wooden spoon (though I'm sure my memory is exaggerating its size just a bit); whatever we didn't eat that night would be divided into Tupperware and frozen for later use. I remember when I moved out of my parents' house for the first time it took a lot for me to be able to buy pasta sauce in the store and to date I have not found one that I like - it still feels like cheating.
From what I remember, making the sauce was somewhat of an ordeal. A blender was involved as were various skillets, fresh herbs, spices, and meats. It seemed...complex. And that's not even to mention the meatballs, which were always cooked in tandem and thrown in the pot, to give flavor to the sauce while it sat for hours simmering on the stove nor the braciole which was also frequently made in tandem with the red sauce.
Needless to say, I need to work up to this. However, a few weeks ago I was feeling ambitious and bought about a pound and a half of Roma tomatoes. A good start to my sauce, I thought to myself as I jauntily exited the market.
Well, a few days went by, and then a few more...we got busy with work, it turned cold, and I lost my motivation.
Trying not to feel down on myself and really not wanting the tomatoes to go to rot on the counter top, I tried to think of what I could do. Why not just coat them in olive oil and garlic and throw them in the oven? the tiny Italian voice in my head said. Never wanting to doubt my inner Italian, I decided to go for it.
Who would have thought that six Roma tomatoes, sliced in half, coated in oil, minced garlic, salt pepper, and thyme and then baked at a low temperature for 2.5 hours would be easiest, most delicious snack I'd ever tasted? I can tell that this is going to be a staple item in our home from now on and I couldn't be more pleased to have something so simple in my repertoire for those (frequent) nights when I just need something I can count on. And can you image topping them with sardines? Or - dare I say it - tossing them with pasta? Hmm...did I inadvertently just make the base for my first tomato sauce?
More on that later - stay tuned for when I eventually try a real sauce....
Recipe:
Six Roma tomatoes, halved
Olive Oil (I didn't measure, but about 1/2 cup)
Tbs. salt
Tbs. pepper
Tbs. Thyme
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Add salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme to olive oil in a large bowl.
Toss with tomatoes to coat.
Bake for 2. 5 hours.
Top with fresh basil.
Devour with crusty bread.
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