We have canned our own tomatoes for years, but this year the crop isn't large enough for some reason. To top it off, the lot our garden is on had been sold and is going to be "scraped" and developed into homes/apartments. Sucks.
Oh, no! Sympathy from here..
Getting back to recipes, here is one I recently received from a family member. I have eaten this Lasagna several times -- it is delicious. (Must be the canned tomatoes.)
Aunt GG's New York Lasagna
2-3 T. olive oil
1 medium onion-diced
2 lg. garlic cloves-crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4-1/3 pound sweet Italian sausage
1/4-1/3 pound hot Italian sausage
2 large cans ITALIAN tomatoes (Yes, Italian is underlined!)
2 small cans tomato paste
salt (1 to 1 1/2 tsp.)
1 T. crushed oregano leaves
fresh basil -- 3 large leaves snipped into small bits
1 & 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 & 1/2 pints ricotta cheese
8 to 12 oz. grated Romano cheese
1 pckg. lasagna noodles
In a large pan saute onions & garlic in olive oil 'til golden.
Add ground beef & sausages, break up & brown 'til thoroughly cooked.
Stir in ITALIAN tomatoes, paste & seasonings (to taste).
Simmer at least 1 hour. (Best to cook it most of day, refrigerate overnight & build lasagna next day.)
Cook, drain and dry noodles.
In 2 rectangular pans cover the bottoms of the pans with small amount of sauce, then build 3-4 lasagna layers:
-- noodles
-- ricotta
-- romano
-- mozzarella
-- sauce
Bake 1 hour at 350 F.
There is a note that says it can be frozen -- I assume that's after cooking.
eh?
hopping off soapbox, I don't care where they are grown if they taste good and vine ripen. Can't do that in my yard now. I wouldn't be surprised if you get some good tomatoes in Oz... but probably the same way we do, getting them from the garden or from a balcony pot (uh, that would be a big pot...)
psssst: I go Italian tomatoes, too, osso. Every time. (Unless we have a remarkable summer.) Just joking!
Ok ok, I get sensitive, me being such a blowhard and all, I know I over do it... (she says, snuffleing.)
And I absolutely agree with you!
Despite several desperate attempts, I've never been able to grow tomatoes. I guess I just don't have a green thumb.
I can sometimes grow tomatoes, but they are notoriously difficult. Nothing like a sun-warmed ripe tomato to bite into though.
Osso -- You weren't really mad at me, were you?
<wanders off muttering -- p'raps I should take food more seriously....>
Oh good. I went to the grocery and bought marinara sauce that said it was made with Italian tomatoes.
Good that it was Italian, I think. Bad that I no longer make marinara sauce myself, but I'll doctor it up with some extras.
Made a wicked tomato sauce with yes, lovely canned Italian tomatoes, fresh basil, Vidalia onion, cream and excellent Italian canned tuna in olive oil on angel hair pasta.
Just to mention, as I am not sure Shewolf or others know, we have right now 343 recipes on the a2k portal - see the top of this page - check, home and food and drink and then, recipes.
Home made tomato sauce... hehehe
A bag of nature sweet tomatos
1/4 cup of the following:
Basil
Oregano
Thime
Tarragon
Seasoning salt
1 tiny can of tomato paste if desired
2 cups chopped Crimini mushrooms and Portabello mushrooms ( together not 2 cups each )
1 sweet onion
1 orange bell pepper diced as small as possible
Cook in a pan with olive oil your bell pepper mushrooms,and tarragon until your bell pepper is desired consistancy. I think it works well when the pepper is still a bit crunchy.
Remove all tomatos and place in seperate bowl and mash completely. It helps to maybe cut them in half first.. Leave chunks if you like.
Pour in remaining seasonings.
At the last minute drop your tomato mixture into your pan with the mushrooms and pepper,
season salt to taste.
Tonights dinner: a joint venture between my housemate and me.
Barilla ricotta-mushroom tortelloni and a mushroom sauce.
The sauce:
2 TBsp olive oil
2 cloved diced garlic
1 TBsp dried chopped parsely
1.5 TBsp fresh chopped rosemary
2 cups dried mushrooms (reconstituted, liquid reserved)
1 TBsp fresh chopped basil
1/4 C grated parmasan reggiano
Sautee ingredients in above order and heat until mushrooms lose their liquid. Add reserved mushroom liquid after passing it through a coffee filter to remove dirt - let simmer while pasta cooks. Add cheese toward end of simmer, toss with pasta. Buon appetito!
<osso never uses tomato paste, with the possible extreme exception if you made it yourself>
what, you like all your sauces to taste like tomato paste?
quiet, osso.
I guess I am an exception, I can tell the taste a mile away, obliterating all else. Throw the cans, she says! (smiling, and keep them if you insist).
I don't like tomato paste, myself. I have found decent canned stewed tomatoes (Muir Glen). At least, I think they're decent.
We have them here too... they're fine. Well, I use the plain ones, but ne'er mind, I am sure the stewed are dandy, it is a good company.
I agree with the tomato paste thing too. I have never liked it, but it is such a popular 'short-cut' I figured it would go over better then what I do.
I use my food processor and puree tomatos and strain them, simmer over low heat with herbs and a little salt until they are thick. THAT is my tomato ''paste''. heheh :-)
Im hungry.....
