Long time gone

These weeks of silence just crept up on me. A week of missing share day here, a family visit there, and before I knew it, this blog had been sorely neglected. The good news is, I have been doing some foodie writing work. Check out my Rural Intelligence articles, here, and here, and here, and here, and here!

And stay tuned for updates--at my house this week, it's all about turning summer into winter, that is: making tomato sauce and pesto to freeze. Mine is truly tomato sauce for the lazy, and even so--it's delicious. I use it as is on pasta, or as the base for a meaty sauce for lasagne.

Lazy Girl Tomato Sauce

2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 onion, chopped
1 t dried oregano
2 t dried basil
4 lbs. tomatoes, very ripe, chopped into 1-1/2 inch or so chunks
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and add the garlic. Allow it to soften and grow slightly golden, and then add the onion. Saute five or so minutes, until beginning to soften, and add the dried herbs. Stir a minute or two to allow their flavors to seep in, then add the remaining ingredients. Keep over medium heat, stirring to keep anything from scorching on the bottom. When it's good and juicy, turn the heat down to a very slow simmer, partially cover, and allow to cook for up to two hours--checking it occasionally so that it doesn't dry or burn. When it's reached a consistency you like, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Run through a food mill if you like (to remove most of the seeds and skins) and then freeze--for a taste of summer mid-winter.