This is a great recipe for those that grow gardens, but is easily done with store bought goods.? As I mention below, I typically freeze my excess garden tomatoes and use them for this sauce.? Without canning or jarring, it will keep for a few weeks in the fridge, easily, maybe longer ? I don?t know ? I?ve never had it around that long!!!!

Ingredients

• 18 – 20 ?Fresh Garden Tomatoes
• 1 medium sized Vidalia onion
• 1 medium sized head of garlic
• 6 ? 8 basil leaves, finely chopped
• 3 – 4 tsp dried oregano
• A couple pinches of crushed red pepper
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Granulated sugar to taste

Basic Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 375
• Clean tomatoes, remove stem and skin (directions below)
• Cut 10-12 of the tomatoes in half (set (8) aside) and place on baking sheet lined with foil
• Stuff the tomatoes with the garlic cloves to ?infuse? the taste into the tomatoes
• Sprinkle the onion evenly on top of the tomatoes
• Sprinkle about ? of the chopped basil, 2 tsp of the oregano, salt and pepper on top of the mixture
• Drizzle the mixture with olive oil
• Roast mixture for 30 ? 40 minutes, watching to ensure the tomatoes don?t dry out
• While this is roasting, finely chop the remaining (8) tomatoes
• Place chopped tomatoes and the roasting mixture when it?s done into a large stock pot or Dutch oven
• Puree with immersion blender until it has the consistency you like
• Taste and add sugar, herbs, salt and pepper to taste
• Cover stock pot or Dutch oven with lid and simmer for 2 ? 4 hours
• Can or jar and it will keep for months

To remove the skins from the tomatoes easily:

• Boil a large pot of water
• Have a large pot of ice water ready
• Cut a small ?X? at the bottom of the tomatoes
• Place tomatoes in boiling water for appx. 1 minute
• Quickly transfer to ice water
• Skins should peel off easily

Note: I typically freeze my excess garden tomatoes to make this sauce.? If you do the same, follow these same directions, only there is no need to move to ice water.? Just remove them from the boiling water and place in a large bowl and de-skin.