Simple Tomato Sauce (Italian Style)

August is a great month for tomatoes, many are ready for picking and eating and also processing.

My friend John owns a nursery/greenhouse, (Coastal Sun Greenhouses)

 and this year his tomato plants produced extremely well.

One of his clients ordered 50 plants of cherry tomatoes but decided not to take them and John decided he would grow them in his greenhouse and sell them at the local Farmers Market.  The tomatoes did so well that he was picking 30-50 pounds a day and not knowing what to do with them, he put them in 5 pound bags and froze them!  I bought a few bags (10) of these frozen tomatoes and decided to make some tomato sauce for winter eats.  My best friend Helena explained to me how the Italian community (her sister is married to an Italian) makes their tomato sauce. Thank you dear friend.  This is the basic process, I have added measurements as per my 'recipe'....delicious, simple, fragrant and a great way to use the tomatoes and the basil from my garden.   I do not peel the tomatoes as I like the added fibre of the peel but do use a hand blender to blend all ingredients for a beautifully smooth tomato sauce.  I add mushrooms, shredded cheese to this basic tomato sauce for pizza, lasagna, and even poaching eggs for a breakfast treat served over my sourdough English Muffins.....Yum!  I do hope you your try this wonderful tomato sauce.

ITALIAN STYLE TOMATO SAUCE

This sauce is perfect for some spaghetti noodles, a lasagne or even eggs poached in it for breakfast..

The ingredients you will need......tomatoes....either cherry or other varieties.

Garlic

 Fresh basil,  above,( olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes (not shown)

Combine all ingredients  (except tomato paste) in a large pot and bring to a simmer

  

One small can of tomato paste

All the ingredients are in the pot and are starting to cook.

The tomato sauce after it has been simmering for about an hour.



The tomato sauce after simmering 5 hours and after being blended.

The tomato paste is stirred in and simmered once again.

 The completed sauce, so thick and fragrant and ready for your dish of choice.

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE (Italian Style)

7 pounds tomatoes

1 head garlic, peeled

1 bunch fresh basil leaves (approximately 1 cup loosely packed)

1/4 - 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1-2 Tablespoons salt

1 small can Tomato Paste

red pepper flakes (optional)

Place tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes but if you are using larger tomatoes chop into quarters)

into a large pot, peeled whole garlic cloves, basil leaves, olive oil, salt (to taste) and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil at medium/low heat and then simmer gently for approximately 4-5 hours.

adding another 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil half ways through. After the 5 hours stir in the tomato paste and bring back to a simmer, let simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.

Using a hand blender, blend all ingredients together to make a smooth sauce.  Pour into sterilized jars and seal.  Process 12 - 15 minutes in water bath.  When cooking you can  add mushrooms, more vegetables or cheese for a little more protein.

This recipe makes approximately 18- 20 cups of sauce.

Enjoy.

'Place your hands into soil to feel grounded. Wade in water to feel emotionally healed. Fill your lungs with fresh air to feel mentally clear. Raise your face to the heat of the sun and connect with that fire to feel your own immense power.'

Banana Lime Poppyseed Loaf

Yesterday was spent out in my gardens, cleaning up the spent blossoms.  Collecting the ripened poppy seeds from theirs proud spot on the stalk.  This gave me an idea for a baked treat to make for my daughter Anastasia and son-in-law Aras who are heading this way from Kamloops for a visit. (along with our Grandkitties, Grandbunny and newest addition the Grandpuppy).....aaah family.

I had a few bananas that were getting very ripe, freshly harvested poppy seeds and limes in the fridge....a perfect combination.  Hope you enjoy it too.

 

BANANA LIME POPPY SEED LOAF

 

 

 

 The ingredients you will need.

 

Wet and dry ingredients all prepared, bananas in lime juice ready for mashing.

 

 Banana Lime Poppy seed Loaf fresh from the oven.

Smells amazing!

 

 

You can see the chunks of bananas, flecks of lime zest and of course, sprinkle of poppy seeds.

Perfect with a cup of milk, tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

 

Banana Lime Poppy Seed Loaf Recipe

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. white sugar, granulated
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup poppy seeds

1/2 tsp. ginger, dried, ground
2 large eggs
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
1 c. bananas, half-mashed (I used 3 small bananas to yield 1 cup.
What I mean by half-mashed is that the bananas should be mashed to a consistency that isn’t completely smooth and still retains some of the larger pieces of banana in it)
1/2 c. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp. lime zest

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and set aside.

Slice the bananas horizontally into disks and mash lightly with a fork. Immediately transfer to a small bowl and mix with the lime juice. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger together. Set aside.

Cream the sugar and coconut oil in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the yogurt. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Finish by folding in the banana mixture and the zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 60 minutes. The finished loaf will be puffed and golden at the top, dark brown at the edges, and pulling away slightly from the sides of the pan. Note that this bread is incredibly moist and dense so the toothpick test will likely fail you. Simply bake to the full 60 minutes and be sure that the top of your bread is puffed and set and you’ll be fine. Remove the baked loaf and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before unmolding.

'The best kind of people are the ones that come into your life ,

and make you see the sun where you once saw clouds.

The people that believe in you so much, you start to believe in you too.

The people that love you simply for being You.'





Zucchini Burgers......

Another long weekend with families and friends relaxing and enjoying these beautiful sunny and very warm days.  My husband and I sat on the deck last night enjoying the cooler evening and watching the boats and ships travel along Georgia Straight. The night was clear and we were able to watch the planes fly overhead and count the stars as they came out.  This warm weather also encourages many vegetables to produce....especially zucchini.  My Mom made Zucchini Burgers often when the zucchini was in season and as a 'younster' we chewed and swallowed 'grudgingly' but eventually started to enjoy the flavours; as an adult I crave these delicious burgers.Thank you Mom.....for making us eat our vegies|  This is an adaptation of my Mom's recipe.  They hold up well in a bun, they also freeze extremely well for those busy days when you don't have time to cook a healthy meal.

ZUCCHINI BURGERS

The ingredients you will need.

The vegetables are grated and seasonings as are the rest of the ingredients.

Everything is all mixed together.....I like to use my hands...

Shaped into balls.

Flattened into patties.....ready for baking in the oven.

Yum...just add your 'fixings' perhaps a slice of homemade pickle.....

ZUCCHINI BURGER RECIPE

3 cups zucchini, shredded

1/2 medium onion, grated

1 carrot, grated

1/2 green pepper, grated or diced finely

2-3 cloves garlic, grated or minced

6-8 mushrooms, grated or diced finely

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (or cheese of your choice)

2 cups bread crumbs or soda cracker crumbs

4 Tablespoons flour (white or whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2-3  Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
2-3 Tablespoons vegetable seasoning
red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grate the zucchini and vegetables into a large bowl, add the seasonings and bread crumbs.
Add in the eggs and mix well until all ingredients are combined.
Shape into balls (you choose the size of burger you like)
Place onto greased baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Flatten balls into patties and bake for 20 - 30
You can flip patties over after 12 minutes to brown the other side.
Serve in bun of your choice or just as a patty on the side.
I like to serve mine in Sourdough Thins Buns and drizzle with some
of Antoinette's sauce/dip.
Enjoy.
*When freezing these patties layer wax paper in between for easier separation of burgers later.

'Love is the goal.......Life is the Journey'