THE BEST HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI EVER (Red Sauce)

Did you know???
Tomatoes are  high in vitamins – Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as a whole boat load of minerals not to mention  they are high in lycopene, a carotenoid, which increases immune response, prevents heart disease, helps clear free radicals from the blood .. 

It's important to eat them with a good quality oil or animal fat, as the carotenoids are fat-soluble and can only be absorbed and used by the body if there are sufficient sources of fat present.Well...that is a good enough reason for me to add the butter to my recipe, you could also use 1/4 cup olive oil in its place if you choose, I just love the buttery taste and the velvet texture butter gives this sauce...

You can use canned tomatoes for this recipe, I make mine a crockpot  batch at a time as my tomatoes ripen. It is then frozen in quart size plastic containers, or jarred and canned in a hot water bath. It all depends on how full my freezer is at the time...

Add the tomatoes to boiling water for 3 minutes, remove , cool, and core and peel...This is called "Blanching"

 The secret to this sauce is the simmering process.

 slooooooow, baby. 

You let your slow cooker do all the work so you don't have to hover over a stove all day to enjoy this rich velvety pasta sauce.

That’s how all the flavors develop and marry one another in a sweet, luscious concoction.

The alcohol cooks out of the wine, carrots give it sweetness while reducing the acid in the tomatoes, and the butter makes it sooo velvety , I call it my "liquid gold" ingredient!

There is something magical  that happens between the tomato, beef and wine flavors ...trust me , this may take some time, but nothing duplicates the layers of flavors  in this sauce . I experimented for years before finding just the right ingredients.. 

You surely should make this recipe your own...Sometimes I add my meat before I freeze this, and sometimes when I have thawed it out..Same thing with mushrooms and red pepper flakes. I have found over the years to just make it basic, and then I can decide when I make my meal if I want to add chicken, sausage, hamburger, or no meat at all. Besides over pasta ,  stuffed shells,  and lasagna it also makes an awesome sauce for Swiss Steak, Stuffed Peppers, Spanish Rice, etc.  I even use it for a base in my chili, and soups all winter.I honestly cannot remember the last time I bought a jar of sauce from the store.

My hubby cannot do anything spicy, but I love a "kick" so I just add my pepper flakes to my plate before dinner..Make it your own custom for your family.

I peel and core my tomatoes, but leave the seeds. A lot of the tomato's flavor is in the jelly encasing the seeds. it also aids as a thickener The seeds and "juice" in a tomato has been scientifically proven to be the most "tomato"-y tasting bit of the tomato.  ...I have never found them to be bitter in my sauce. It turns out the seed in [the tomato] jelly ... has three times more flavor compounds called glutamates than the flesh, so when you seed the tomato... you're actually throwing out most of the flavor.. Fact is that the claim that tomato seeds are bitter is not supported by science. If a recipe calls to remove the seeds, it's likely for textural reasons--not because they're bitter."

Did you know?? 
 Tomato seeds have been identified as a key component to a long life and healthy alternative to aspirin. The natural gel found in tomato seeds can help maintain a healthy blood circulation by preventing blood from clotting, according to clinical trials.If you choose to remove the seeds for aesthetic reasons, be sure to strain off and use the flavorful gel that surrounds them.
Ingredients

1/3 cup fresh Basil
1 Carrot
2 Bay leaves
8 cloves Garlic
3 Onions, medium
4 sprigs  Oregano
2 sprigs  Parsley
10 lbs Tomatoes
1 sprig  Rosemary 
1/2 bottle red wine
1 stick butter
2 diced sweet peppers
2 T. beef bouillon  

I use fresh herbs when I can, but you sure can use dried...

There no

 “right” way to make this recipe..

 That is why recipes bring such joy .. they can be changed up.

 Throw everything in a large crock pot. Crank it on high for 12 hours to reduce. Give it a stir now and then.
  Then I use my immersion blender to break everything up to a silky sauce.You could leave it chunky, but by hubby does not like chunky tomatoes, so smooth it is for us..Let it cool, package label and freeze. This is good for a year, but mine never make it that long.

This is how mine looks in the beginning before giving it a stir..and after 12 hours below...