We were talking in another section, about quests we have gone on to produce the perfect edible goody...
A few years ago I went on the quest for perfect spaghetti sauce after watching an older Itallian gentalman make some from fresh tomatos out of his garden... and eating what I thought was the very best I ever had eaten..
.I can do that......I thought to myself............
Already had a good thick evenly spiced sauce...But It didn't have something that his did
My sauce was a Roma, Big momma,Cherry tomato blend.
They start out in the Juicer, then the pulp went thru- the food seive/mill
For every gallon of pulp free tomato juice I added 1 green, pepper 1 Jap pepper, 1 medium Onion, and a stick of celery all juiced as well... Brought this to a boil for around a minute or 2 then turned it down to a simmer after it had reduced to 50% chop your chunky's...Green pepper, Onion, garlic, Fennel,Basil, oregano, and Parsley...Go easy on these...Remember you still have HOURS TO GO simmering and stirring...They will blossom and the sauce will reduce another 50% before it is ready
When it's as thick as wanted..I'd toss the Jars in the oven to preheat and then water bath can it...It was good but not AWESOME
THE QUEST...4 YEARS OF GROWING...AND TOSSING HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF TOMATO SAUCE IN THE COMPOSTER...
Here's what I learned
ALL THE INGREDIENTS FRESH FROM THE GARDEN
Juicing all the veggies and some of the herbs, gives the sauce a more evenly balanced end product....BUT it is ALOT harder to judge the end product flavor when starting...Go easy on them...since they can be added later...As late as 75% reduction
Tomatos...Roma's..Good, sturdy base, Nice even Predictable flavor...Big momma's basically the same as the Roma only larger, But can get a bit sugary when harvested a tad bit late,
Cherry's I add the the cherry tomato's to sweeten the sauce...I added Opalka's ...They are nearly seed and jelly free...almost solid fleshed...With a mild even flavor...You can adjust your tart/sweetness with the tomato ratio...More Cherry's for sweeter Opalka's for a fuller body...Roma's for more Tomatoey flavor...Add some beefsteak or Better Boys for extra Tomatoey
Other Juiced in Veggies... I went so far as to add in Juiced Carrot's But more than 1 carrot per 1 1/2 gallons of juice got overpowering...Juicing in Anise and fennel creates a more smooth delivery over using seeds...Altho seeds are safer (flavor wise) but when You bite into the seeds.......
Juiced in peppers give the sauce that aroma and hint of flavor with having people pick them out....MY WIFE
Juiced herbs are a mess in the juicer...I only juice the stalks of the Fennel , Anise, Parsley,Oregano,Basil, and cilantro...Set aside the leaves for later use or toss in the dehydrator
Here's where it gets funky on most
I used to let a few seeds get through the mill when grinding in the pulp...I like the tartness
Keep the seeds out...A good tip to grinding the pulp...Is Simmer it for a few minutes and grind it in warm...Skins and pulp go through much easier
I will often times put the seed/skin goop in the dehydrator to use as a powder later
Once you have the juicing done and are comfortable with the mixes...Crank up your heat
Bring it to a boil stirring constantly...Only for a couple of minutes turn down to a simmer
Lot's of sauce goes SIDEWAYS here...Too hot and the sauce cooks to fast and get's that acrid taste OR scorches
The delemma here is tempature balance...Too cool and your making a huge growing grounds for bad bacteria...Too hot and you have a not very good sauce...That's why I say it goes sideways here... More in a bit
A few years ago I went on the quest for perfect spaghetti sauce after watching an older Itallian gentalman make some from fresh tomatos out of his garden... and eating what I thought was the very best I ever had eaten..
.I can do that......I thought to myself............
Already had a good thick evenly spiced sauce...But It didn't have something that his did
My sauce was a Roma, Big momma,Cherry tomato blend.
They start out in the Juicer, then the pulp went thru- the food seive/mill
For every gallon of pulp free tomato juice I added 1 green, pepper 1 Jap pepper, 1 medium Onion, and a stick of celery all juiced as well... Brought this to a boil for around a minute or 2 then turned it down to a simmer after it had reduced to 50% chop your chunky's...Green pepper, Onion, garlic, Fennel,Basil, oregano, and Parsley...Go easy on these...Remember you still have HOURS TO GO simmering and stirring...They will blossom and the sauce will reduce another 50% before it is ready
When it's as thick as wanted..I'd toss the Jars in the oven to preheat and then water bath can it...It was good but not AWESOME
THE QUEST...4 YEARS OF GROWING...AND TOSSING HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF TOMATO SAUCE IN THE COMPOSTER...
Here's what I learned
ALL THE INGREDIENTS FRESH FROM THE GARDEN
Juicing all the veggies and some of the herbs, gives the sauce a more evenly balanced end product....BUT it is ALOT harder to judge the end product flavor when starting...Go easy on them...since they can be added later...As late as 75% reduction
Tomatos...Roma's..Good, sturdy base, Nice even Predictable flavor...Big momma's basically the same as the Roma only larger, But can get a bit sugary when harvested a tad bit late,
Cherry's I add the the cherry tomato's to sweeten the sauce...I added Opalka's ...They are nearly seed and jelly free...almost solid fleshed...With a mild even flavor...You can adjust your tart/sweetness with the tomato ratio...More Cherry's for sweeter Opalka's for a fuller body...Roma's for more Tomatoey flavor...Add some beefsteak or Better Boys for extra Tomatoey
Other Juiced in Veggies... I went so far as to add in Juiced Carrot's But more than 1 carrot per 1 1/2 gallons of juice got overpowering...Juicing in Anise and fennel creates a more smooth delivery over using seeds...Altho seeds are safer (flavor wise) but when You bite into the seeds.......
Juiced in peppers give the sauce that aroma and hint of flavor with having people pick them out....MY WIFE
Juiced herbs are a mess in the juicer...I only juice the stalks of the Fennel , Anise, Parsley,Oregano,Basil, and cilantro...Set aside the leaves for later use or toss in the dehydrator
Here's where it gets funky on most
I used to let a few seeds get through the mill when grinding in the pulp...I like the tartness
Keep the seeds out...A good tip to grinding the pulp...Is Simmer it for a few minutes and grind it in warm...Skins and pulp go through much easier
I will often times put the seed/skin goop in the dehydrator to use as a powder later
Once you have the juicing done and are comfortable with the mixes...Crank up your heat
Bring it to a boil stirring constantly...Only for a couple of minutes turn down to a simmer
Lot's of sauce goes SIDEWAYS here...Too hot and the sauce cooks to fast and get's that acrid taste OR scorches
The delemma here is tempature balance...Too cool and your making a huge growing grounds for bad bacteria...Too hot and you have a not very good sauce...That's why I say it goes sideways here... More in a bit