Marinara
A colleague at work (Savitha) brought me a jar of her homemade marinara, and it was so delicious. I asked her how she made it, and talked with Judi about how she makes hers, and it's so easy! And so much better than purchased. You just have to be around for a few hours as it cooks on the stove. But it smells lovely, so that's not hard to do.
Use jarred tomatoes if you want to be sure that you're not getting any BPA or other nasty stuff from the plastic lining. Tomatoes are so acidic that they may be worth paying a bit more for to get them in the jar. Savitha also recommends San Marzano tomatoes if you can get them.
2016 update: Larry's sister Cyndy adds mushrooms and onion, cooking them up first, an adds a couple more spices like marjoram and thyme. The onion and mushroom are nice and make it thicker!
Ingredients
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion (optional)
2 cups mushrooms (optional)
10+ cloves garlic, smashed/chopped
8 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 T (heaping) dried basil
1 T (heaping) dried oregano
red pepper flakes (to taste; half a teaspoon?)
Marjoram to taste (optional)
Thyme to taste (optional)
Instructions
In a big pot/dutch oven, cook the onion and mushrooms in oil if you are using them, until onions are translucent. Add garlic and spices and cook for a couple more minutes.. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-4 hours (more is better), no lid (so liquid evaporates). Serve over whole-wheat pasta (we like Garofalo whole wheat spaghetti or fusilli) OR spiral-cut squash.
The 112 oz boils down to about 72 oz. We eat some fresh and then freeze the rest in jars!
Serving ideas:
With fried, breaded zucchini and eggplant:
With a side of lightly-fried spinach (in vegan butter):
2016 update: Larry's sister Cyndy adds mushrooms and onion, cooking them up first, an adds a couple more spices like marjoram and thyme. The onion and mushroom are nice and make it thicker!
Ingredients
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion (optional)
2 cups mushrooms (optional)
10+ cloves garlic, smashed/chopped
8 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 T (heaping) dried basil
1 T (heaping) dried oregano
red pepper flakes (to taste; half a teaspoon?)
Marjoram to taste (optional)
Thyme to taste (optional)
Instructions
In a big pot/dutch oven, cook the onion and mushrooms in oil if you are using them, until onions are translucent. Add garlic and spices and cook for a couple more minutes.. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-4 hours (more is better), no lid (so liquid evaporates). Serve over whole-wheat pasta (we like Garofalo whole wheat spaghetti or fusilli) OR spiral-cut squash.
The 112 oz boils down to about 72 oz. We eat some fresh and then freeze the rest in jars!
Serving ideas:
With fried, breaded zucchini and eggplant:
With a side of lightly-fried spinach (in vegan butter):
