Tabitha said:
Great idea Ian, what's your secret family recipe?
Id have to kill you if I told you....hehehehehe
First you need to say this right...with conviction..like you run the kitchen!
Im maginamaDEnADA! (Im making marinara)
alright heres a good one..
but note one thing...fresh=flavor. fresh herbs, veggies etc...everything fresh..nothing dried...for salt/pepper...mortar and pestel ...no preground!!!
get 10lbs of tomatoes
2 onions
1/4 lb of basil
half a handful oregano(and half as much thyme, same amount of rosemary)
one head of garlic
olive oil (no butter!)
3TBSP sugar
salt, pepper, cracked red pepper(THATSA SPICY MEATABALLA!!)
(i also will use some garlic/onion powder in addition...i think it makes the flavor more homogenous)
chicken stock (which i use only on occasion)
first saute'e in extra virgin olive oil (ITS GOT TO BE GREEN!) some of the garlic about half way done, then add the chopped onions, let this saute'e another minute or so. then add the chopped tomatoes
(I use roma/plumb tomatoes, and sometime some larger vine tomatoes...the vine ones are nice...from a gardeners perspective they will always be the tastiest because they are still attached to a nutrient source (the vine) and hence are still able to grow a bit in the store and retain life...ideally you want to use San Marzano tomatoes which you can buy online and import from Italy...now thats a secret I didnt tell you but they make the best sauce in the world.)
this is where if I use chicken stock id add it.
add the sugar, stir everything up real nice and let this simmer on medium heat for 20-30 minutes. then you add all the herbs chopped up reaaalllly fine (fine AND fresh=flavor flavor flavor!!!) add your spices, and the rest of the raw garlic. set the burner to low...if you have a gas stove set it on to simmer....let this simmer on low heat for around 5-7hrs (if you want a TRULY good sauce)...you want it just hot enough so SMALL relaxed bubbles form...no heavy boiling, just slow and steady.
stir it often so the bottom doesnt burn. this will ruin the sauce. Its intensive but its genuine, and you WILL enjoy it.
lastly, let me know how you like it when you make it
after its done, can it in sterilized (pressure cooker or boiled) Ball mason jars or similar. I like to keep it refridgerated but you dont really need to I dont think...just as long as no air gets in contact with it...
itll probably keep a few months id think???