Marinara Sauce

I have never been one to like Spaghetti or most spaghetti sauces. There is and occasional Marinara that I will like, but it is rare. Yes this is strange, who doesn't like Spaghetti? And I LOVE pasta, so what's the deal? I have a few thoughts on why this is, but they are for another type of blog :)
So last week I decided to can Marinara Sauce. Last night we ate some, and to my surprize and that of my family I really liked it. I added ground beef and italian sausage and mushrooms to a jar of the sauce and it was quite good! I also think it will make great pizza sauce. So, here is the recipe........

Basic Marinara Sauce

 

 

1-2 large yellow onions, finely chopped in food processor

2 Tbsp olive oil

6+ cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped (I like a lot)

2 Tbsp dried italian seasoning

1/2 c red wine

12 c (about 6-7 pounds) fresh tomatoes, take core out and any bad spots

 

In large kettle saute onion in olive opil until onion begins to caramelize. Add garlic and herbs and cooks 2-3 more minutes. Add wine and deglaze, cook about 2-3 minutes more.

 

Puree tomatoes, peels and all, in a blender of food processor until fine. Add to onions. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Continue cooking for several hours, until desired consitancy. Add salt to taste. You can add more herbs or garlic to taste.....make it taste how you like it!

 

Ladle into hot, sterilized quart jars. Food process at 15# for 25 minutes, for high altitude.



Caramel Apple Butter

Wow! Fall has FINALLY arrived, and with that the smells of fall are filling my house! Last week I canned about 100 pints of applesauce, 30 jars of Caramel Apple Butter, 30 quarts of marinara sauce, 7 quarts jalepeño garlic dill pickles, and 18 pints zucchini pickles. This week I may do more marinara sauce and some salsa. We will definitely appreciate it this winter when the snow is flying....hopefully it does fly!

So many of you have asked for my Caramel Apple Butter recipe, so I thought I would post it here. It is super easy and oh so yummy!

Caramel Apple Butter

 

13.5 cups of apples, cored and quartered.

          Make sure that any bugs, bruises, seeds, stem, etc are removed.

3 cups apple juice, no sugar added is best!

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

 

In a large heavy kettle add the apples and the juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook until apples are tender, about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionaly.

Blend apples in blender or food processor until smooth consistancy.

Return to kettle. Add sugars, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Cook, uncovered, at low heat for 2-3 hours or until very thick and mixture mounds over a spoon, stirring often. Can also place in crock pot on high. If using crock pot leave lid off. It may take another hour or so if using the crock pot as well.

When you have your caramel apple butter as thick as you would like, ladle it into hot, steriized, half-pint jars, leaving 1/ headspace. Wipe jars, adjust lids. Process in water bather for 10 minutes, start time after water returns to boil. Remove jars and allow to cool.

 

nutrition content per 1 Tablespoon: 28 calories, 8 fat, 8 sodium, 7 g carbs, 0 fiber, 0 protein

 

Can also use this for pancakes, waffles or ice cream topping!