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Sauce – I call it my spaghetti sauce

JANFU

Land by the Gulf Stream
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Sauce – I call it my spaghetti sauce- I use 2 pots- 11 in diameter- 9 inches high. I also use it for making lasagna
I make it in the fall, cooler weather, vegetables are cheaper and fresh from the farms.

I cook this for 2 days – 3rd day I freeze in containers – day one – get it all in – heated up - set out, fall time is perfect to cool, heat up next day – simmer at low temp
– No green peppers as they are tart

Ingredients
Red,
Yellow,
0ange bell peppers - I do not use green peppers as they are sour and not as sweet
6 cans diced tomatoes- 3 for each pot
Mushrooms -fresh
Tomatoes Roma fresh as they are meatier, less water content
Onions
Garlic fresh and or bottled if you prefer
Tomato paste- add according to how thick you want your sauce
Hot Peppers – I use a variety as each adds its own flavor.
Jalapeno
Chili
Serrano
Scotch Bonnet or Habanero
Pepperoncini -mild and a nice flavor
Basil and Italian spices
Bay leaves
I think I have it all listed. Going by memory

Zhug if you can find it. A Middle Eastern blend of spices and great for sauces to soups
No meat is added. Just the veggies


Hot to mild peppers - some of what I use, based upon availability – Use the pepper link to know how each pepper rates. In particular if you like Chipotle dried spice as it is based upon weight the link provides comparison values
Jalapeno
Chili
Serrano
Scotch Bonnet or Habanero
Pepperoncini -mild and a nice flavor


Pot(s) &Preparation
This is based upon my using 2 large pots
2 large pots – 9-inch-high- 11-inch diameter- if using smaller pots or 1 large pot, balance accordingly.

1 long spoon for stirring

I wash all peppers and tomatoes for pesticide and other contaminates.
Red, yellow orange pepper- I cut into chunks, ½ to ¾ inch cubes or so – add to pots – evenly.

Mushrooms – Clean and rinse sink, run water, place stopper in, so water drains, swirl MR’s around, cleans them up nicely, set to dry in a strainer- Dice in chunks- ¼ to 1/2-inch-wide full width of MR. Sauté

Tomatoes fresh- chunk and add. They will cook down

Garlic (I use fresh and on occasion bottled)- I use a lot of cloves- finely diced and added evenly to each pot
Onions diced – Sauté
Hot peppers- finely diced – add even amounts to each pot. Add 1 variety at a time. I use a mix of these. I hull and dice up by hand, for those that are sensitive use gloves or a food processor. Then use a good knife to dice up in smaller pieces

Hot – Mild pepper -Check the link for more information and heat ratings.
https://forknplate.com/2017/11/26/mildest-hottest-guide-peppers

Added evenly to both pots as I measure to keep the same consistency,
Added to sauce as soon as possible as the flavor has time to seep thru and you end up with no hot spots.

Basil- Italian seasonings – Bay leaves
Ran out of a really nice spice, Zhug, excellent background flavor

NO MEAT – as I freeze most at the end

Lastly, I add tomato paste to thicken sauce. I like a thick sauce as I dislike a runny lasagna or sauce on my noddle’s.


Simmer day 1, taste for what may be needed.
I set out on balcony- I use a metal stand pot warmer, on top of a ceramic tile to cool overnight.
Note- If you set on a cement garage floor, ensure the pot bottom is clean of debris as grit can damage newer cooking surfaces
Next day, start at low temp, stir to prevent burning on bottom of pot.

Taste and add spices as needed.

I let cool again- overnight.
Next morning, I then freeze in various sized containers. I use this for spaghetti and to make my lasagnas.

This is when I add cooked ground beef
What I use in my lasagna - sauce above from the freezer, anywhere from 2- 4 different cheeses. Mozzarella shredded, they I add some of these to add more flavors
Gruyere – Havarti- Provolone and other cheeses- some I add are also smoked, some not.
 
Looks delicious.
Having the patience to let it sit for basically two days...someone's taste buds are thanking you for that I'm sure.
 
Looks delicious.
Having the patience to let it sit for basically two days...someone's taste buds are thanking you for that I'm sure.

My daughter is fussy, and loves it.
I never cooked much till i met my 2nd wife. She grew up in a family of 7 kids. She was the youngest and only girl. So she was the one that mamma used for all kitchen jobs. She learned then to hate cooking.
So I started late in life. When I began I would go thru small end specialty stores and there were none where I lived in New Brunswick, so I would bulk up when in Moncton or Halifax, see a spice, if it looked good, I would buy it. Lots of experimentation.

Took a while to get this one down where it is not hot as they cannot eat hot and spicy

Another comfort food- noodles, type used in KD - boil but do not use oil as it prevents the cheese from sticking to the noodles, cream of mushroom soup, whole canned mushrooms, water & milk, cheddar cheese.
Cook noodles, add soup,mushrooms,low heat, add milk & cheese till you get the consistency you want.

When done some nice bread, garlic if you prefer and a great wintertime comfort food
 
I go simple with my Marinara Sauce.

Fresh garden tomatoes

Tomato paste

Garlic

Onion

Parsley

Oregano

White wine

Salt

Pepper
 
My daughter is fussy, and loves it. I never cooked much till i met my 2nd wife. She grew up in a family of 7 kids. She was the youngest and only girl. So she was the one that mamma used for all kitchen jobs. She learned then to hate cooking. So I started late in life. When I began I would go thru small end specialty stores and there were none where I lived in New Brunswick, so I would bulk up when in Moncton or Halifax, see a spice, if it looked good, I would buy it. Lots of experimentation.

Yeah, I too started full-time cooking just a year or two ago in my mid 40's. My wife is from up north, and I love her and her family, but I think they genetically are missing some links from their pleasure center to their taste buds, so taking that over (and the shopping for groceries) appealed to me. My daughter took after me, she likes good food and turns her nose up at the mediocre stuff.

I too hate the runny spaghetti sauce, especially in lasagna...unappealing to have that pool of reddish water all over the plate.

Two pots!! That really offsets the time consuming aspect of the recipe. There is nothing like cooking those frozen dishes that are as easy as using a jar to prep, but are 100% scratch home-made goodness. I need to expand my freezer list beyond my spaghetti sauce. I do some crock pots, but that only gets me next-day leftovers.
 
Yeah, I too started full-time cooking just a year or two ago in my mid 40's. My wife is from up north, and I love her and her family, but I think they genetically are missing some links from their pleasure center to their taste buds, so taking that over (and the shopping for groceries) appealed to me. My daughter took after me, she likes good food and turns her nose up at the mediocre stuff.

I too hate the runny spaghetti sauce, especially in lasagna...unappealing to have that pool of reddish water all over the plate.

Two pots!! That really offsets the time consuming aspect of the recipe. There is nothing like cooking those frozen dishes that are as easy as using a jar to prep, but are 100% scratch home-made goodness. I need to expand my freezer list beyond my spaghetti sauce. I do some crock pots, but that only gets me next-day leftovers.

Then a time saver for day 1 - Leave the mushrooms, bell peppers, onions to day 2. Splits up the labor, and still has time to cook and flavor up the sauce
Though I would add the hot peppers on day 1

Or cut the peppers up the evening before, place in the fridge till next day.
 
Hot Peppers – I use a variety as each adds its own flavor.
Jalapeno
Chili
Serrano
Scotch Bonnet or Habanero

I like your style. (I like hot stuff. Like REALLY hot stuff.)

That, by the way, is an insanely complicated cooking process for spaghetti sauce. The last time I made spaghetti, I simply opened a large can of crushed tomatoes, threw it into a pan, and then heated it up in an attempt at evaporating some f the water and making it thicker. That's it.
 
I like your style. (I like hot stuff. Like REALLY hot stuff.)That, by the way, is an insanely complicated cooking process for spaghetti sauce. The last time I made spaghetti, I simply opened a large can of crushed tomatoes, threw it into a pan, and then heated it up in an attempt at evaporating some f the water and making it thicker. That's it.
Heh. But that's insanely too simple!

Here's the one I use it's only 10 minutes...America's test kitchen, they tried to maintain a good flavor while making it as fast as possible. Grated onion was one of the keys.
You use crushed tomato's already, all you need to do is great/sautee the onion/garlic, and throw in some seasoning, done in 10 minutes too.
I use the bottle of garlic so no messing with that either. Anyway, just thought I'd share it given the subject:
https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/10-minute-tomato-sauce-from-americas-test-kitchen-429838
 
I like your style. (I like hot stuff. Like REALLY hot stuff.)

That, by the way, is an insanely complicated cooking process for spaghetti sauce. The last time I made spaghetti, I simply opened a large can of crushed tomatoes, threw it into a pan, and then heated it up in an attempt at evaporating some f the water and making it thicker. That's it.

Then use the store stuff, add tomato paste to thicken the sauce, add garlic and hot peppers. Put all in a pot and simmer
 
Heh. But that's insanely too simple!

Here's the one I use it's only 10 minutes...America's test kitchen, they tried to maintain a good flavor while making it as fast as possible. Grated onion was one of the keys.
You use crushed tomato's already, all you need to do is great/sautee the onion/garlic, and throw in some seasoning, done in 10 minutes too.
I use the bottle of garlic so no messing with that either. Anyway, just thought I'd share it given the subject:
https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/10-minute-tomato-sauce-from-americas-test-kitchen-429838

Yes that looks good, but I prefer the added peppers- bell and hot, mushrooms and onions. And I have the time as I am retired.
 
Heh. But that's insanely too simple!

Here's the one I use it's only 10 minutes...America's test kitchen, they tried to maintain a good flavor while making it as fast as possible. Grated onion was one of the keys.
You use crushed tomato's already, all you need to do is great/sautee the onion/garlic, and throw in some seasoning, done in 10 minutes too.
I use the bottle of garlic so no messing with that either. Anyway, just thought I'd share it given the subject:
https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/10-minute-tomato-sauce-from-americas-test-kitchen-429838

Great site, never thought of adding pepper and salt, or olive oil
Me I love pepper, I blacken my mashed potatoes.

I use salt and Malabar pepper when making wings in those oil less fryers. MMm good, tangy with a beer to wash down
 
Then use the store stuff, add tomato paste to thicken the sauce, add garlic and hot peppers. Put all in a pot and simmer

I wanted to use tomato-paste, as I like really think sauce, but I was in a situation where I was just scrounging.
 
I wanted to use tomato-paste, as I like really think sauce, but I was in a situation where I was just scrounging.

Buy some, throw in the cupboard, use it next time. Also make a great base for homemade pizza sauce.

Make extra freeze it, ready when you want it di di mau
 
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