Recipe du semaine...

This week, I'm going to give Jenn a break. She's given me this crazy stew-like concoction to make so, I figure, if I go easy maybe she'll give me toast next week... you know, something I can cook!

So, here's the deal this week. Gather yon spaghetti, yon penne, yon linguini - cause we're making tomato sauce! Yep, I've been making my own for years; it's time you joined in. This recipe is pretty easy. But, don't worry, it'll get more difficult when we get to bolognaise!


BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

1 Spanish onion, cut into 1/4_inch dice - if you can't find one, use a nice, big, red one!
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced - I prefer to go crazy with the garlic, throwing in a nearly a dozen!
3 ounces virgin olive oil (extra if you got it)
4 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 2 tablespoons dried)
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded - the finer the better
2 (28_ounce) cans of tomatoes, crushed and mixed well with their juices
Salt, to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent, but not brown (about 10 minutes). For this, you'll want to go with a low heat and take your time (not thyme - that comes later). You're looking for translucence here.

Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more or until the carrots are nice and smushy.

Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to just bubbling, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

Season with salt to taste. You can also kick it up with a little essence. The beautiful thing about this recipe is you can add anything you want. Add meat for a meatier sauce. Add veggies. Add a bunch of mushrooms!

Serve immediately, or set aside for further use. The sauce may be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to 6 months.