Marinara #1 - Roma tomato, roasted red pepper & basil

Pinterest visitors!  Hello, I have 3 other scratch marinara recipes, you can find them here!  Thanks for visiting!

So.  I've been whining about finding a marinara recipe with NO CANNED INGREDIENTS.  I am not a hater of canned goods, but I figure if I'm making my own sauce, it shouldn't have canned junk in it, or I may as well just buy a jar of marinara.

Anyway, I was really surprised that most of the recipes I found called for canned tomato sauce or canned tomatoes.  Boo!  So I decided to make my own.  I consulted the experts:  Ironmom, sister Beezelbum and sister Mush.  I imagined things in my mind.  I fell in love with roasted red peppers.  And then I went for it.

I bought this big ole' bag of Roma tomatoes at the Yolo Fruit Stand.

They are not perfect, but that is OK because I cooked them down.

I used 8 of them.

I only cut out the ends and chopped them.

I did not seed or peel them.

I am not Sam I am.

What is swuaas with out garlic?

6 cloves minced.

The yellow onion was also present.

1 small yellow onion, chopped.

Of course, due to my love affair with Roasted Red Peppers (don't tell The Cyclist), I had to add one of these to the mix.....

So, pre-heat your oven for roasting that pepper.

I followed these instructions (just the roasting part & I only used 1 pepper) from How Sweet It Is.

Then, heat up a big pot to a medium temp....

(I just used my pasta pot and took the strainer out)

...and add some olive oil....

...add in your garlic and onion and saute them for a bit until they start to soften...

....then throw in your chopped tomatoes...

...cook at a low-medium heat...

Now.  My basil plants still have some leaves, but they are looking a little shabby...

...so I used this stuff instead.

It is Dorot Chopped Basil and you can buy it at Trader Joe's.

They have other seasonings too, including garlic.

They all come in the little pop out trays and are super convenient to have in your freezer.

The basil is fresh tasting and good.

Disclaimer: Dorat is not paying me or giving me products.  I just like it.

I used 4 cubes which is equal to 4 teaspoons.

I also threw in a bay leaf.

Photo: simplyorganic.com

I forgot to take a picture of it, so you get the file photo above.

I also threw in salt, pepper, sugar, garlic pepper, sea salt and dry oregano.

You know what these look like, right?

I hope so.

This is me in the kitchen.  

Ignore the giant tub of Wheat Thins at my side.
I may or may not have been using them to taste test my swuaas.

If you did not believe that my kitchen is Mad Men Circa 1956, check out this side-by-side comparison:

Ooohhh, the similarities are eerie!

Betty Draper is a way better dresser, but she should lose that cancer stick!

Moving on.

You should be stirring your tomatoes...

Stir...

...stir...

....stir....

OK, you get it.

Keep those tomatoes on medium-low heat and keep cooking them down.

Eventually, after roasting and steaming, your red peppers should be ready...

Yum.

As I peeled my peppers (like Peter Piper.  wait.  he picked peppers.)...

OK, as I peeled my peppers I threw them in the tomato mix.

Once I was done I took the whole thing and threw it in the blender...

...I probably should have removed the Bay Leaf, but I forgot, so it got blended up too.

Nobody died.

After everything was blended....

....viola!

I then attempted to take several artsy shots of my swuaas, none of which I'm particularly thrilled with. The photo editing was fun though...










I think this one is my favorite....

I made this after dinner, so it sat for a night in the fridge before we had it...

All in all, it was good! It is a tad sweet, which I like.  It had a nice flavor and none of that canned taste. The Roasted Red Pepper added to the thickness and the flavor. The basil was present but not overpowering.
So, as far as the title "Marinara #1", I am planning to do a series of different sauces over time. I am especially nervous about #5 because I feel like it needs to be as famous as Chanel No. 5 or something. This is an example of my mind at work.  My apologies. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe for Marinara #1!
Recipe as follows & at Tasty Kitchen.
Marinara #1 - Roma tomato, roasted red pepper & basil
Ingredients: 8 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped 1 Medium yellow onion, chopped 6 Cloves garlic, minced 1 Red pepper, cored and roasted 4 Tablespoons olive oil 2 Dashes of salt 2 Dashes of fresh ground pepper 1 Bay leaf 4 Teaspoons fresh basil, chopped or 4 frozen Dorat basil cubes 1 Teaspoon oregano 1/2 Teaspoon garlic pepper 2 Teaspoons sea salt 2 Tablespoons sugar
How To: Chop tomatoes and onions. Mice garlic. Begin process of roasting the red pepper using How Sweet It Is instructions below.  Use 1 red pepper.
To roast peppers: remove core and seeds from peppers and slice into pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and preheat the broiler in your oven. Place under the broiler skin-side up until skins are completely charred and black – this took about 10 minutes for me but will depend on your oven. Just check every 2 minutes or so. Immediately remove peppers from oven and using kitchen tongs, quickly place them in a ziplock bag then seal it. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
After you put your pepper in the oven... Heat large pot on burner to medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onions and garlic and saute until softened. Add tomatoes. Reduce heat to low-medium temperature. Add all seasoning and continue to stir frequently. Once the red pepper is done roasting and steaming, peel the skin as directed and add it to the sauce mixture. Dump entire sauce mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until the sauce is smooth with no tomato or pepper chunks. Jar it or serve it!
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