From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Local tomatoes have started to come in with a vengeance. Not too long ago, that would have me pulling out the canning kettle in anticipation of putting all those tomatoes by. I loved to see the shelves of my pantry bulging with jewel-toned jars. These days, space and other practical considerations keep the farm wife in me at bay, and those jars of vibrant red have been replaced by a few pints of frozen sauce. I use the slow cooker to make the two types of sauce I freeze. One is a basic tomato sauce that contains only salt and olive oil. I use no other seasoning, so I can work it into various types of ethnic recipes. The other is a ready to go marinara sauce that can be used with pasta, chicken or vegetables when I'm in the mood for an Italian-type meal. Both sauces are delicious and simple to make, but my scales tip slightly in favor of the one that is unseasoned because it uses unpeeled tomatoes. Both versions, however, require seedless tomatoes. Don't skimp here. Slow cooker tomato sauces turn bitter if there are seeds are mixed with the other ingredients. A few strays won't make a difference, but it is worth your time to remove as many as you can if you want sauce worthy of your time. I do hope you'll give both these recipes a try. Here is how these simple sauces are made.
