fresh tomato sauce.

it seems like every time i look out my window, i notice more and more red tomatoes in my garden. the past few days i have been picking 4 or 5 almost ripe tomatoes & sitting them on the window ripen up. so, i decided it was time to make a first batch of tomato sauce for the year. 

i pulled the rest of the ripe tomatoes, as well as an onion & a small green pepper & got started. here's a really simple recipe for really fresh tasting garden tomato sauce. you can definitely substitute and adjust according to which ingredients you have on hand. it's pretty hard to screw up tomato sauce.

 

INGREDIENTS.

fresh tomatoes.

green pepper.

olive oil.

onion.

fresh garlic.

herbs/spices.

start by sauteing a small chopped onion in some olive oil until onion softens. next, add any dried herbs/spices you'd like. i added salt, pepper, oregano, and some red pepper flakes to give it some spice. once spices become fragrant, begin adding fresh veggies. i added a small, finely chopped green pepper first. then i chopped about half of my tomatoes, and pureed the rest. the pureed tomatoes give the sauce a strange, pale color, but it will become more red as it cooks. if you have any fresh herbs, such as basil, add them now. bring sauce to a light boil, then reduce heat, cover & simmer for about 20 minutes. enjoy!