We are nearing the end of Tomato season.  I spent the past three weeks buying a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes, making and canning tomato sauce.  Of nearly all the vegetables we consume, the flavor and quality of tomatoes are perhaps the most susceptible to varietal and environmental changes.  You see, tomatoes need a hot, dry growing season and nutrient-rich soil to really thrive and put out their best sugars.  Each variety has its own distinct characteristics too… Purple Cherokees are a deep purple and intense, the Zebra tomatoes are tangy.  the Brandywines are huge and bursting with sweetness.   

Last season, we had nearly perfect tomato weather.  Most of August reached 95 degrees and above.  We lived in constant fear of serious drought.  September felt more like a relief than a signal of fall.  The tomatoes loved it.  This year, we had a cooler and much wetter summer.  We only occasionally reach the 95-degree mark – often staying in the 80s.  September brought a cold with it that I usually associate with October.  As a result, the tomatoes were not as rich and sweet.  Nevertheless, the sauce was calling my name.  

This year, the whole process felt seamless as I had help!  My cousin Michele wanted to learn how to make sauce, so she and I formed an assembly line on the tomatoes that cut our production time in half.  
Deb’s Tomato Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs of organic heirloom tomatoes
•  2 Vidalia onions, minced  
• 1 head of softneck garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1  teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• Two bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Method:

• Score the tomatoes (makes them easier to peel)
• Bring a pot of water to boil.  While heating up, place a large bowl in the sink and fill ½ with ice cubes and half with very cold water
• Submerge the tomatoes (two at a time) into the hot water and let sit just long enough to peel their skins (30 -45 seconds).
• Remove and quickly submerge in the ice water.
• Peel the cooled tomatoes and cut into quarters (reserving the tomato liquid that falls onto the cutting board.
• In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil until just before its smoking point, then add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for about five minutes, or until onions are just beginning to go clear.
• Add the minced herbs and sauté for another two minutes.
  
• Add the tomatoes and tomato liquid, stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to just barely a simmer. 
• Let the sauce cook for between 8 and 10 hours.  You want the tomatoes to break down, the liquid to evaporate and the sauce to thicken.
• When it thickens (coat a spoon), take an immersion blender and puree the sauce.  
• At this point, taste the sauce and make sure it is seasoned properly – adjust salt and pepper as needed and allow it to cook for one more hour.
  

Most of the time, your sauce will be finished at this point.  Depending on the tomatoes you use, the sauce can be perfect – or varying degrees of acidic.   If it is just slightly acidic, I will add a touch of honey to it and jar it from there.  It is really acidic, then, in a separate pot, I will make a roux using about a ½ stick of butter and equal amounts of flour.  When the roux is blond, I will add white wine to it and stir until I have a liquid thickener.  I’ll add this wine-based Velute to my sauce and cook it for another 45 min – to minimize the wine and flour taste.   I ONLY do this if the tomatoes are not 100 percent.  Most of the time, they are fine on their own.