Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

 'Tis the season!  Tomato season!  Not only can you find real, tasty tomatoes at local farmer's markets (or growing in your father-in-law's garden...hint, hint Bob) but you can also get your run-of-the-mill, grocery store variety for a bit cheaper than normal.  I did just that, pick up a TON of plain-Jane tomatoes for very little cash, while conducting one of our bi-annual epic shopping trips to Costco.  A couple flats of beefsteak tomatoes, two pounds of grape tomatoes and two more pounds of Roma tomatoes were headed home with me...destined to be turned into enchilada sauce & marinara sauce.

Both of these sauces are really easy to make and you'll be so glad you put in the time when you pull a jar out of the freezer on a night you really don't feel like cooking anything complicated.  They can be used as a dip, base for soups, or just as they were intended...as sauce.  Oh, so delicious!

Enchilada Sauce

8 beefsteak tomatoes

2 yellow onions

6 cloves garlic

2-3 dried California chilies

2-3 dried Guajillo chilies

2-3 dried New Mexico chilies

1 chipotle chili in Adobo sauce

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (give or take)

1 tsp cumin (more or less)

pinch of dried oregano

Wash, stem and quarter the tomatoes then place in a large dutch oven or stock pot.  Peel and quarter the onions, add to the pot.  Smash & peel the garlic cloves, throw in the pot.  Stem and seed the dried chilies, tear into chunks and add to the pot.  Add in at least one whole chipotle pepper (the kind you can get in a can, packed in adobo sauce.  You can add more if you like it spicier.  I recommend starting with one and adding more later if you like).  Add enough water to the pot to come about half way up the tomatoes/onions/etc.  Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Let cook for at least an hour, maybe a little more until the tomatoes and onions are totally cooked down and the chilies are soft.  With an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth and then stir in your spices, adjusting to your taste.  If you prefer more heat, add in another chipotle and puree that in.  You might want to add more salt than what I listed--just keep tasting and adjusting.  Simmer for another 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly.  Transfer the sauce to plastic containers or glass jars and freeze!

Enchilada Sauce                    Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

8 beefsteak tomatoes

1-1.5 lb grape tomatoes

2 lb Roma tomatoes

1 head garlic

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

sugar

1 yellow onion

2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp each of dried basil and dried oregano

Pinch of dried rosemary and dried thyme

Half bottle of good, dry red wine (I used left over Chianti)
1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz)

Wash, stem, quarter and seed the beefsteak tomatoes.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Wash, stem, half and seed the Romas, place on baking sheet.  Wash the grape tomatoes (leave them whole) and spread out on baking sheet.  (You might need two rimmed baking sheets to hold all of this.)  Cut the whole head of garlic in half at the equator, place both halves cut side up on the baking sheets.  Drizzle all of the tomatoes, etc with extra virgin olive oil and a little balsamic.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a light dusting of sugar.  Roast in a 225 degree oven for about 2-2.5 hours.  

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  

Peel and chop the onion into large chunks.  In a large dutch oven or stockpot, saute the onion in about 1/4c of good olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes--until soft and translucent.  Squeeze the cloves of roasted garlic from one half of the head you roasted earlier into the pot--since they have been roasted, the cloves should come right out easily--you may have to use a fork to get a few out.  Stir those around with the onions for just a sec--you don't want them to get too brown or burn.  They're already roasted so their flavor is mild and sweet rather than sharp as they are raw.  Add in the tomato paste and herbs.  Stir, cooking for just a couple minutes.  Pour in the wine, stir to combine, simmer for a few minutes.  Add in all of the roasted tomatoes with whatever juice has gathered in the baking sheets as well as the can of tomato sauce.  Simmer on medium-low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring from time to time.  Using an immersion blender, puree the contents of the pot.  Taste and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.  If the sauce tastes a little acidic, sprinkle in a little more sugar   Remove from the heat, let cool slightly then transfer to containers for freezing.  Enjoy!

Since you only used half of the head of roasted garlic, save the other half for garlic bread or another recipe.  Just store in the fridge and use within a few days.