Kitchen Commons Community Recipes

1. Cut all tomatoes at least in half. Even the cherry tomatoes. If you don't do this, they 'pop' later in cooking and give your sauce a watery consistency. Fill a baking pan with the cut tomatoes about a layer and a half deep. 
2. Crush a head of garlic into each baking dish. 
3. Drizzle with olive oil, 2 Tbs or more of balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and pepper.
4. Mix well and put in a 400* oven for 40 minutes.
5. VERY CAREFULLY, put it into a blender or food processor and process on low speed with the lid held on (but not tight, only so it doesn't splatter and burn you.) Slowly turn the speed up on the blender until you have your sauce to the consistency you want (I like mine super pureed). During this step, add your Italian Seasoning and any salt and pepper you might need to your taste. OR pour the roasted tomatoes into a large glass or metal pot and blend with immersion blender.

To Freeze:

6. Let the sauce cool, and put it into bags for the freezer. Make sure it is cooled completely in a bowl or in the blender before adding it to the freezer bags. It will separate if you freeze it warm.

To water bath can the sauce:

7. Pour hot sauce (reheated in a pot if needed) into hot, clean jars with leaving ½” of headspace, wipe the rim of the jar, then put on the lids and rings (again *very* carefully! Everything is hot at this point!). 
8. Lower jars into water bath canner with jar lifter. Add water to canner to cover jars with at least 1” of water above the top of the jars.
9. Process covered with a rolling boil in a water bath canner for 35 minutes. (start the timer after the water starts to boil.)
10. When the process time is over, turn of the burner and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and let sit longer to cool down, or carefully lift jars out of the water and set on clean towels. Do not tip the jars on their sides. 

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