Fitness Friday #6-A Recipe!

Do your tomato plants look like ours? You'll have to make this recipe for tomato sauce-it is the best, fresh tomato recipe I've ever tasted. Including in restaurants. (Adapted, er, copied straight from Joy of Cooking)

Use a large skillet-type pan, preferably a few inches deep. Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add: 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 medium onion finely chopped (I've used both white and red, either was fine,) 1 carrot finely chopped, 1 celery stalk, with leaves, finely chopped. Add to oil, stir and cook until onions begin to brown, about 5-7 minutes.

Add 2 cloves garlic minced (jarred or fresh works,) (I used about 5, actually,) and 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped and firmly packed. Cook and stir for about a minute. Add 2 1/2 lbs. of fresh, coarsely chopped tomatoes. (This many tomatoes is roughly 8 cups of chopped tomatoes. It seems like a ton but you'll be happy.)(You can remove the skins. I didn't.) Crush with your hands as you add them to the pan.

This was the fun part! Just make sure you've washed your hands well and are not wearing a white tshirt. Just sayin'.

There was also a bunch of juice in the bottom of my bowl of cut tomatoes. I would suggest only adding some of it, or it will take a sweet forever to reduce so it's not so juicy. Simmer, uncovered, until thick, about 10 minutes. (I simmered mine for about 30 because of the extra juice. Note: the book says that it is better the shorter you simmer. I agree.) I added sea salt also, and some fresh ground pepper.

Best ever. Try it, you'll see. The fresh tomato taste is out of this world. Seriously, you'll love it. I haven't tried to freeze it yet because there just hasn't been enough left, but hopefully I have at least one batch worth left so I can pull it out in about a month when we are craving fresh tomatoes.

So, not nearly enough fitness this week, but a whole lot of FRESH. Yummmmmm!