3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup lightly packed assorted fresh herbs (such as oregano, thyme, parsley, or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley), chopped
6 tablespoons lemon juice
Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks and add some of the chunks to the food processor. Cover and process until chopped. Transfer chopped tomatoes to a 7- to 8-quart nonreactive heavy pot. Repeat chopping remaining tomatoes, in batches, in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot.
Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to boiling. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 70 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and is desired sauce consistency. Remove from heat; stir in herbs.
Spoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice into each of six hot, clean pint canning jars. Ladle sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims; adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 35 minutes (start time when water returns to a full boil). Remove jars; cool on wire racks.
Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to boiling. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 70 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and is desired sauce consistency. Remove from heat; stir in herbs.
Spoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice into each of six hot, clean pint canning jars. Ladle sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims; adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 35 minutes (start time when water returns to a full boil). Remove jars; cool on wire racks.
From the Test Kitchen
Spicy Simmer Sauce: Stir in 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper with the herbs.
Roasted Garlic Simmer Sauce: Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped roasted garlic with the herbs.
Double Tomato Simmer Sauce: Stir in 1 cup snipped dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) with the herbs.
Roasted Garlic: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from garlic bulbs, leaving skins and cloves intact. Cut off about 1/2 inch from the pointed top portions, leaving bulbs intact but exposing the individual cloves. Place the garlic bulbs, cut sides up, in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart casserole. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover casserole. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until garlic is soft. Remove from oven. When garlic is cool enough to handle, remove garlic cloves from papers by squeezing the bottoms of the bulbs. Chop roasted garlic.
Makes: 22 servings Serving size: 1/2 cup Yield: about 11 cups sauce (6 pints)
** The easiest way to get tomato skins off:
1) set up a pot of boiling water
2) fill a bowl with ice water
3) core all your tomatoes
4) slice an 'X' in the bottom end of each tomato
5) drop your prepared tomatoes in batches into the boiling water for no more than 30 seconds
6) after 30 seconds, spoon them out and drop them into the ice water
7) gently slip the skin off the tomato
Poof you're done!
www.bhg.com
** The easiest way to get tomato skins off:
1) set up a pot of boiling water
2) fill a bowl with ice water
3) core all your tomatoes
4) slice an 'X' in the bottom end of each tomato
5) drop your prepared tomatoes in batches into the boiling water for no more than 30 seconds
6) after 30 seconds, spoon them out and drop them into the ice water
7) gently slip the skin off the tomato
Poof you're done!
www.bhg.com
