Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 lbs of tomatoes on the vine (I used medium sized ones)
• 4 medium yellow onions (chopped)
• 7 garlic cloves (minced)
• Handful of fresh finely chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 Tbsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp of a good quality dry Italian seasoning blend
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp nutmeg
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 cups of red wine (pinot noir or chardonnay work well)

Preparation

1. Open a good bottle of red wine
2. Pour yourself a glass 
3. Boil 2 quarts of water

1. Remove tomatoes from the vine and wash them.  
2. Cut an X (not too deep) over the stem end of the tomatoes.  This will allow for an easier time peeling the skin off
3. Prepare a bowl with ice and water and another bowl for placing the peeled tomatoes
4. Blanch about 8 or 10 tomatoes in the boiling water for about 40 seconds (Not to cook them but to release the skin)
5. Remove the tomatoes and insert them in the ice water for about 20 seconds so they stop cooking
6. Place the cooled tomatoes in another bowl and repeat steps 5 and 6 until all tomatoes are done
7. Peel each tomato and throw away the skin
8. Add the chopped onions to a hot large enough sauce pan with some extra virgin olive oil
9. With your fingers break apart and seed the tomato over a strainer to capture the juice and keep the seeds away
10. Once the onions begin to caramelize (about 8 minutes) add the garlic, and the Italian dry seasoning blend.  Cook for about 2 minutes making sure nothing is burning.  Add olive oil if needed.
11. Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes
12. Add the tomatoes and the drained tomato juice to the pan. 
13. Once everything is boiling add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sugar
14. Mix it well, lower to a simmer, cover the pan, and cook for 2 hours stirring sporadically
15. Add the parsley
16. Using a hand blender blend the sauce lightly while still in the pan to thicken it a little bit (optional)
17. Serve over your favorite pasta and save some for other dishes

Experience

I recently went to an Italian festival held by the Jacksonville Italian American Club and asked some of the Italian old ladies about making my own marinara sauce.  The response I got from everyone was the same.  They don't have recipes and they don't cook with recipes.  They just cook!  It's more about the tasting and feel.  I convinced myself I needed to make my own marinara sauce to use on my first lasagna.  It was Christmas Day and I had all day to play around with food!  It was a lot of fun to make but I wish I hadn't used it all on my lasagnas.  I cooked three lasagnas and wound up freezing one of them.  1/3 of this recipe is enough for 1 lasagna in a 9 x 11 lasagna tray.  I was going to use brown sugar instead of regular sugar but I didn't realize I didn't have any.  I'll try it next time!  the result was great. I do suggest, however, that you use your own taste buds in regards to salt.  I used exactly 1 Tbsp but you might like it saltier or less salty.  This was fun to make and I will definitely make it again.  I only wish I could grow my own tomatoes!