On 6/15/2012 9:14 PM, gtr wrote:
> On 2012-06-15 22:12:41 +0000, Gary said:
>
>>> What's the hassle though? Plain tomato sauce/diced/chopped whatever is
>>> so cheap and it doesn't take much time to cook it down, add your own
>>> herbs to taste, sugar or no sugar, meat or no meat... it's endless what
>>> you can do with canned tomatoes.
>>
>> Actually Cheryl, you are correct. I've learned to start with the Hunt's
>> spaghetti sauce as a base then enhance the heck out of it. By the time I
>> get done enhancing it, I really could have just started with a tomato
>> sauce
>> base. I guess it just "seems" easier starting with a "flavored tomato
>> paste."
>>
>> I make a batch of 7-8 quarts of spaghetti sauce whenever i make it and I
>> freeze most of it for future spaghetti meals and good for lasagna too.
>
> So to get 7-8 quarts of spaghetti sauce (what I would think of as a
> "season's worth") how many jars (and the size) of Hunts do you start out
> with?
>
>> Here's just a quick rundown of what I add to the Hunt's sauce (several
>> cans
>> of it). This might not be complete but gives you an idea.
>>
>> Hunt's spaghetti sauce as the base then add in:
>>
>> - ground beast browned with lots of chopped onions, then drained
>> - many fresh tomatoes, chopped in bite-size pieces
>> - a few tablespoons of olive oil (one of the few times I use this)
>> - lots of basil and some parsley, and some garlic (fresh, not powdered)
>>
>> I forget the rest until I make another batch but the end results are
>> restaurant quality.
>
> It's certainly worth consideration...
>

I meant to add to my reply to Gary that when I use canned tomatoes I
always puree it with a stick blender because I don't like tomato chunks.
I like little bits of onion but it can save time to cut them bigger
and let them cook until soft with the sauce and puree them, too.