Tomatoes

Hard to believe the summer is already close to being finished. The strawberry and raspberry seasons are now over and most of the early veggies are done. Though the weather does not seem like it we are already beginning apple season. Soon enough we will open for the early varieties of apples, late vegetables and whatever remains of the raspberries. During this season it is quite easy to find a lot of local veggies things that range from tomatoes to corn. Now one thing that truly disappoints me about Ontario is that in this season, even with some of the best tasting tomatoes on earth available, you will be hard pressed to find a good tomato sauce let alone a recipe to make one. Well there is a lot of truth to the idea of keeping food simple and I have a recipe for tomato sauce that is easy to prepare, simple and tastes fantastic.

Ingredients:

-tomatoes, or a tomato paste ( if you are using whole tomatoes you must put them in the blender and turn them to a paste) 1-1.5 L of paste in total.

-olive oil

-one clove of garlic

-salt

-black pepper

-oregano

-fresh basil

-lemon juice (optional)

This is a personal family recipe; it is simple, easy, and delicious at the same time.

Now in a fairly big sauce pan pour in olive oil just until the bottom of the pan is covered, then turn on stove to low or medium just enough to get the oil hot. Crush the clove of garlic and finely chop it then throw into the pan. Fry the garlic then add in your tomato paste- note : that you must prevent the garlic from burning which can happen quickly depending on how hot your oil is; so add the paste before the garlic burns. Once you have added the paste stir the mixture and male sure the garlic and oil mix in. Next add your oregano, sprinkle it over the top of your sauce, usually I just add what I feel is right but if you need a measurement then add just under a tablespoon into the sauce and mix it in. Throw in a pinch of salt and grind in about a teaspoon of black pepper. Add in two or three leaves of fresh basil( dried basil will not convey the same flavor as fresh). Now if you want your sauce to be a little bit more acidic squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into it, this is optional and depends entirely on what your tastes are. Reduce the sauce until it becomes the desired thickness and enjoy! This is a very basic recipe but has an incredible flavor while being low on sugars and salt. Remember cooking doesn't have to be right by the book try adding in different herbs and ingredients to change the flavor to one you like even better. I hope you enjoy this recipe just as my family has, and until next time good eating!