It is just gorgeous outside today. Warm and sunny and blue, but also autumnal, very fall, with a little bit of a cool breeze on the edges. I spent most of the morning in the garden, picking the last of our romas, and just finished making two huge vats of sauce (whilst listening to Morrisey, Pet Shop Boys, and Madonna on the CD player). They'll simmer for the rest of the day, and tonight I'll put up ten or twenty containers of sauce for the freezer (which we will eat all through the fall, winter and next spring). But for dinner tonight: I think maybe a seafood pasta (scallops, mussels, prawns) with spoonfuls a steaming fresh roma tomato sauce ladled over. Oh yeah.

Here is how I make tomato sauce:

-Lots of ripe tomatoes (romas are best for sauce, but really any kind of tomato will do, just make sure they are ripe). I make batches using 3-6 gallons of whole tomatoes to start.
-Wash them and let air dry
-Destem and place whole or cut-in-half in Cuisinart
-Pulse chop until tomatoes are the consistency of a chunky soup
-Transfer to a food mill and process to remove seeds and skins and set resulting tomato pulp aside

-In a large pot saute onion in olive oil
-When onion is translucent, add garlic and saute a minute
-Add some red wine and saute a few minutes more
-Add milled tomato liquid (see above) and stir
-Cook on medium to medium-high--you want a slow rolling boil
-Stir frequently
-When sauce has reduced about a third, add spices: pepper, basil, oregano, salt, chili pepper flakes, whatever you like in your sauce (but don't overdo it: this a basic sauce, and you can always add more to it later)
-If sauce is too acid or tart, add some sugar and stir
-Turn down heat a little and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is desired consistency
-When sauce is done, remove from heat and cover
-Allow to cool before transferring to containers for the freezer (this sauce is terrific fresh, and will still be terrific even after a year in the freezer)

*