I know I keep writing about the weather in my Fit to Eat column, but it has played such a major role in our veggie garden and what we have been cooking and eating these last few months.
I just can’t believe it’s December next week and we are still harvesting carrots, beets, broccoli and cabbage. An exciting foodie and gardening win!
The biggest harvest this year by far is our tomatoes. It has been incredible, especially given our climate and the fact that we don’t grow them in a greenhouse — they were all outside in pots. Mind you, on cold and windy nights, we took them in the garage for safety.
I’m sure I sound repetitive when I say that homegrown tomatoes taste completely different from store-bought tomatoes. They are bursting with flavour — like fireworks with every bite. So much so that my hubby eats them like apples.
We have been making all sorts of delicious recipes with our tomatoes. Everything from homemade tomato soup, Caprese salad and the most delicious marinara sauce I have ever made, which is what I am going to share with you this week.
It might not look amazing, but believe me, your taste buds will be jumping for joy.
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Let’s get started!
I’ll be honest, this is one of those recipes where I just threw in ingredients and hoped for the best. It worked!
I used about 15 small to medium-sized homegrown tomatoes, six homegrown small-to-medium onions and four heads of homegrown garlic (which amounted to about 16 garlic cloves).
We love our garlic, so if it is not a favourite of yours, you can scale back the amount.
Let’s not forget about the spice. I had some leftover spaghetti spice mix from Italy and I used about two tablespoons. It has everything from red pepper flakes and black pepper to basil and oregano.
First step: chop all the veggies into bite-size chunks (leave garlic cloves whole) and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add olive oil and your spices over top.
It never hurts to give them a little toss to make sure everything is nicely coated.
Put them in the oven at 375 F for about 45 to 60 minutes. When they’re done, let them cool a little as they will be piping hot to the touch.
Note: some people blanch their tomatoes to remove the skin before roasting or using their tomatoes for homemade soup. I don’t. The skin of homegrown veggies is said to be super healthy. No need to create more work in the kitchen or take away any yummy and healthy benefits — let the blender do its work.
Good timing on that segue as our next step involves a blender or immersion blender. Depending on the size of the blender, you can either add all of the roasted veggies or maybe just a quarter.
The trick is not to fill the blender up to the top. The last thing you want is for it to overflow, especially if the veggies are still a little hot or warm to the touch. Plus, you may need to leave room for some additional liquid.
If you feel like the marinara is too thick, you can add veggie or chicken broth. When you are adding liquid, only add a little at a time and gauge the thickness as you blend.
You have options for blending too. It is a personal preference as to how much you want to blend. Some people like to have it completely pureed; others like to keep small chunks of veggies throughout.
It really doesn’t matter how you choose to blend it — it’s going to be absolutely delicious! Serve your homemade marinara sauce with some fresh pasta and, voila – delish!
I hope you enjoy my homemade marinara sauce as it's most definitely fit to eat.
Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl. Email: [email protected] or Instagram: @erinsulley
