“The staples”. These are the foods that make your eye twitch little when you realize you’re running low. Foods and ingredients that you-absolutely-cannot-live-without! Things like jumbo black olives, yellow onions and tomato sauce.
Yes. Tomato sauce. No, not the stuff in the tiny mutant can. While it has it’s uses, they aren’t here. Not today. Today we’re talking about tomato based red sauce. More specifically, Italian style tomato based red sauce. It floweth over with flavor, and can be a nutritional sucker punch if done correctly. Which is what makes tomato sauce a quintessential “staple” ingredient, as well as how to pack in as much of the good stuff as possible!
Vegetables. Some people love them. For many they are a sign that there is a God and they do in fact hate us. But never fear. With this sauce you won’t have to pick a side. Some of the vegetables we use are yellow onion, garlic (obviously), carrot, celery, red pepper, finely chopped spinach and even kale! Lots of vitamins and nutrients tucked away in this rich and versatile tomato sauce. Great for pizzas and pastas alike.
This is how it’s done:
Basically I like to sweat all of my vegetables down in a big stock pot, including the finely chopped greenery, until tender. Adding in fresh diced Roma tomatoes is next on the agenda (although it’s worth noting that you can still yield 
a good sauce using canned tomatoes in a pinch). However with fresh produce you will end up with a sauce that is much brighter, more acidic and contains greater depth of flavor. We grow and dry many of our own herbs at home. Basil and oregano are the tried and tested herbal combination for a subtly sweet and floral flavor. Coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Be liberal here, but remember all of the flavors including the salt will intensify as the sauce simmers away. Oh, and garlic. Don’t forget the garlic. How much? Use a ridiculous amount, and then double that. I’m serious. A head of fresh garlic is about $0.35 so, feel free to indulge yourself.
From this point you should set a timer for an hour and a half, and check in to stir occasionally. You can ramp up the flavor here by tossing in those Parmesan rinds from the back of the cheese drawer. Just be careful they don’t get burned to the bottom of your pan.
When done allow your sauce to cool a bit before running it through the food processor for a minute or so. This helps ensure a consistent texture throughout the entire batch of sauce. *Side note- Whole wheat pasta and pizza crusts seem to be an excellent alternative to pasta and crusts made with refined white flour. While it’s carb content is similar to it’s refined white cousin, the whole wheat variety contains complex carbohydrates which have a lower glycemic index. It’s a simple tweak that-when paired with this vitamin filled tomato sauce- gives you the best nutritional bang for your buck without running away from the pan shouting “YUCK!”
The Cross & Bully Marketplace 