Seasoned tomato sauce

Sharing another canning adventure today! This time it's a seasoned tomato sauce. I had already loaded up the freezer with peeled, deseeded, and chopped raw tomatoes and then I thought a seasoned tomato sauce would be a nice complement to all those frozen tomatoes. This recipe is from the Ball Fresh Preserving website and I was very happy with it! It does take a lot of work though - straining out all the seeds and skins is no easy task.

I canned four pints of this at the beginning of August. Before we knew it we were opening up a jar for a quick pasta dish and making pasta with vodka sauce. It was great and worth the effort!

Basil-garlic tomato sauce [half recipe] from Ball

Ingredients for Half Recipe

10 lb tomatoes (about 30 medium)

1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 large)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp olive oil

2 Tbsp finely minced fresh basil

1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice per hot jar

3 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions

   Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

   Wash tomatoes; drain. Remove core and blossom ends. Cut into quarters. Set aside.

   Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

   Puree tomato mixture in a food processor or blender, working in batches. Strain puree to remove seeds and peel.

   Combine tomato puree and basil in large saucepot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until volume is reduced by half, stirring to prevent sticking.

   Add 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot jar. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

   Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check for seal after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

It's Always Caturday

They love getting on the refrigerator!