It's Versatile, affordable, and delicious! Is it "Evil" too?

The history of the tomato can be traced back to as early as 700 A.D. Originally cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas, this most popular of fruits was imported to Europe by the Spanish explorer Cortez some time after 1521.

The tomato was first thought to be poisonous because of it's resemblance to several deadly plants, namely; Henbane, Mandrake and Nightshade. As a consequence, the tomato had a long struggle for culinary acceptance before it would become the world's most popular fruit.

But, history aside, here today, the tomato is indeed a very popular and versatile fruit. It is used in the cooking of all cultures and loved by millions around the world.

I count myself as one of the millions of tomato lovers. Hardly a day goes by that I won't eat a tomato in some form or another. Many of you who see my "Face Book" page can attest to the fact that I usually have a pot of tomato sauce on the stove, weekly.

If I'm not using my fresh sauce, I am using sauce that I have frozen. When I make sauce, I may spend 6 dollars on ingredients but, I get 8 quarts of sauce. This is much less expensive than buying pre- made sauce in the store. A simple tomato sauce is easy to make and takes very little preparation. You can cook it in a very "slow" oven or in your "crock pot" and it will need no attention as it cooks. For the purest, you can cook it on the stove top (like my Mother and Grandmother did) but, you will then have to stir it every 15 minutes so the bottom doesn't burn. Believe me, if you have ever tasted sauce that has burned at the bottom of the pot, you know there is nothing worse. The entire pot is ruined.

Here's how I make my basic sauce:

Finely dice a large onion (use your favorite).

Heat your heavy pot and once hot, sauté your onions in a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add a little bit of finely chopped garlic. (Be careful not to burn the garlic.).

Once the onions are clear, add in the tomatoes of your choice. I like to use a mixture of half diced and half crushed. Season liberally with dried basil and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a hard simmer (stir, stir, stir) then reduce the head and let it cook at a slow simmer.  Depending on your taste, the sauce will need to cook for 2-4 hours in the oven or on the stove top. Or, as I mentioned before, you can just put it all in a slow cooker and let it go all day. Do the prep work the night before so you can turn on your Crock Pot as you go out the door for work. The sauce will be finished when you get home.

That's just my basic sauce. You can get more creative and add peppers and other veggies if you like. For a large pot of sauce, a nice cup or so of red wine adds another dimension to the sauce. That's always a favorite in our house.

Now that you have your basic sauce, what to do?

You can let the whole thing cool down and put it in smaller containers for freezing or even canning or you can start to cook with it.

I use my sauce in nearly everything. I've even used it as a garnish in an omelet on occasion. It adds a nice acid component to stir fries and gravies. I usually use my tomato sauce as the base for a braising liquid when I make pot roast. The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.

The best thing is, you've made this sauce yourself. the more things you use it for, the more money you have saved. In this day of rising costs of everything, saving on groceries is a big plus. Let's not even talk about the fuel savings when you don't have to go to the store.

In the summer, tomatoes are very popular in home gardens. I love a nice fresh tomato. One of the most delicious salads ever made consists of a few slices of tomato, some mozzarella cheese and a few leaves of fresh basil, sprinkled with a few drops of Olive Oil! 2 minutes work and you have a classic Caprese Salad.

Who doesn't like a BLT? Maybe your favorite way to eat tomatoes is to grill them. It doesn't matter. No matter how you slice them, Tomatoes are delicious, affordable and extremely versatile.

This past weekend, I made a chicken tortilla soup by starting with my frozen sauce.  It took about 20 minutes of work and dinner was great. Much more healthy than anything you can buy pre-made in the store.

So, next time you want to use tomato sauce, make it yourself. You will find that the little bit of effort will pay great dividends in smiles around the dinner table. Not to mention, your house will smell wonderful!

I think I've shown that tomatoes are not evil.


As always...