Tomato & Zucchini Sauce

My parents were out of town for a month during fall harvest so I pillaged their garden.  Many times actually.  They grow a lot of amazing produce and there was boxes and boxes of tomatoes. With so many tomatoes, I decided to make tomato sauce and can it for future use throughout the winter season.

Many sites and cookbooks recommend blanching tomatoes in boiling water and plunging them into an ice bath in order to remove the skins.  I've done that before but I just didn't feel like it this time so with a sharp knife, I merely peeled the skins.  I did it over a large pot so that any dripped juices were collected.

I wish I have an exact recipe for you but I didn't feel like taking down measurements.  It is as complicated as you want to make it.  I'll try my best to go from memory.



I tossed the whole, peeled tomatoes in a large 7.6L pot until it was 3/4 full.  I had several large zucchini's in the garden and I was really done with making zucchini bread so peeled and grated one and added it to the pot as well.  I added 1-2 Tbsp each of oregano, basil, salt and pepper, a whole head of garlic, minced first of course, and about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar.  I heated it over medium-high heat with the lid on to a boil.  Then I turned down the heat to a simmer until everything softened up, about an hour.

I used a stick blender and blended down the softened contents to a nice consistency.  I let the sauce simmer some more to reduce it, depending if you had really juicy tomatoes, and that can take another 30-60 minutes.

Add more spices if you wish or different spices.  Omit the zucchini if you wish or add other vegetables, it's really up to you.  I canned about 7 - 1L jars but you can also cool the sauce and pack portions into the freezer safe containers, if you prefer.