Making tomato sauce

When tomato season starts it usually follows by alot of cooking. Sometimes we get lucky and it's not too hot; and there are days that you really wish you could function only at night when it's tolerable and the heat of the stove won't kill anyone in the house. So you start by chopping alot of beautiful heirloom tomatoes into a large pot... 

Yes, I cook with skin on and seeds inside.. bring it to simmer and keep there for about an hour. Then use immersion blender to puree it all. You can pour it through the strainer to remove seeds if you like and bits of skins that can be tough or you can leave it as is. I do both depending on what type of sauce I'm making. Bring it back to simmer and add a handful of herbs - Italian dry mix or just basil and oregano for flavoring. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also add some smocked paprika. In a separate skillet saute chopped onions and garlic until soft but not brown. Add a cup of red wine and cook for few minutes to get the alcohol out. Mix it into tomatoes. Blend it all again well. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If I'm making marinara I'll add a bit of tomato paste to thicken it. Put into jars and finish canning as usual. And you end up with these for winter..

And then repeat again with the next harvest.. and then again until you get desired quantity that will last you all winter. My goal is to have at least 30 jars of sauce - 1 jar a week minimum. That should last me from mid-October when all fresh tomatoes will be gone, to end of spring.

edit: visit Robin at The Gardener of Eden for more Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard