An evening's chores and homemade pasta sauce

Good evening. Here is tonight's clutch.  I love the subtle color differences in the individual eggs, they are so pretty!  Too pretty to eat, almost.

 

Spent a little time with the cows too, gave them a new bale of hay, they are very happy now.  This is Pansy, my little 3 month old heifer.

 

She is learning to lead.  I am a firm believer in tame cattle, as they are much more predictable and easy to handle than wild ones.  

Dinner tonight was pasta with homemade-from-scratch sauce.  It takes several hours to prepare, but can be made ahead and canned in a water bath or frozen. Recipe:

Home made Pasta Sauce  (Yield 6 pint jars)

20 large or 30 medium tomatoes.
2 cans chopped olives
about 6 - 7 medium mushrooms chopped
6 cloves of garlic (roasted - see below)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion or 2 tbsp dried onion
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp finely chopped oregano
2 tsp garlic salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp fine black pepper
1tsp olive oil (to roast the garlic)
2 tbsp ketchup 
1/4 to 1/3 cup brown sugar (to taste)
1/4 c vinegar

Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. (Tip: Put the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 20 - 30 seconds then plunge into cold water.  The skins will slip off much easier!)  Let drain for 30 minutes in a colander over a bowel to remove some of the water.  Puree all but 3 cups of the tomatoes in the blender or food processor and pour into a large stainless steel pot.  Coarsely chop the remaining tomatoes and add to the puree.  Cook for 1 - 2 hours over med-high heat stirring frequently to prevent burning. (Tip:  If you use a heavier pot, it won't burn as quickly).  This will reduce the volume by approximately 1/2. Meanwhile, place the unpeeled cloves of garlic in a piece of foil and drizzle the olive oil over the top.  Wrap tightly and place on an oven safe dish in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the tomato puree has cooked down, remove the garlic from the foil, cut in half and squeeze the cloves from their peels and mince.  Add the minced garlic, olives, mushrooms and onions to the mixture and cook until softened.  Add the herbs, seasonings, vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar.  Adjust the seasonings to taste if you desire.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes.  Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space.  Place lids and screw bands and process pints in a water bath for 35 minutes.  (Tip: Get canning parameters from your local county extension office or refer to Ball (TM) Getting Started with Canning for more information.)  Alternately you can place in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 6 months.  Enjoy any way you would ordinarily use store-bought pasta sauce, but with the knowledge that you are bringing the freshest ingredients to your family's table.

Let me know how you use pasta sauce, or if you have a recipe you'd like to share.

Tammie