On Fri, 4 May 2007 15:39:42 +0000 (UTC), Drew Cutter
> wrote:

>What do i need for making my own pasta/spaghetti sauce ? food
> processor ?

A can opener, a pot, a spoon, and a heat source. That's it.

-- Larry

pltrgyst wrote:
> On Fri, 4 May 2007 15:39:42 +0000 (UTC), Drew Cutter
> > wrote:
>
>> What do i need for making my own pasta/spaghetti sauce ? food
>> processor ?
>
> A can opener, a pot, a spoon, and a heat source. That's it.
>
> -- Larry
>

Can opener?!?

Fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded. Fresh garlic, basil and
oregano, onion. Cook down slowly to the consistency you want.

There are more ways to make sauce than there are people.

The herbs are "to taste" but I suggest adding some just
chopped herbs about 5 minutes prior to serving. Adding some
fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano can't hurt either.

Try that and see how you like it and adjust from there.

--
Steve
http://adirondackoutdoors.forumcircle.com

Drew Cutter wrote:
> What do you cook the spaghetti sauce / pasta in ? Any special type of
> tomato ? I'm guessing the pealing of tomato is by hand ? What do you
> recommend for chopping the herbs ?

First off, I tried to have an open mind and give you an
honest answer but given these questions and especially the
top posting, I'm starting to smell troll.


--
Steve
http://adirondackoutdoors.forumcircle.com

Drew Cutter wrote:

> Steve Calvin wrote:
>> Drew Cutter wrote:
>>> What do you cook the spaghetti sauce / pasta in ? Any special type of
>>> tomato ? I'm guessing the pealing of tomato is by hand ? What do you
>>> recommend for chopping the herbs ?
>>
>> First off, I tried to have an open mind and give you an honest answer
>> but given these questions and especially the top posting, I'm starting
>> to smell troll.
>>
>>
> Not a troll. I want to plant a garden for making pasta
sauce. I'm newbie
> to this. Trying to save a few bucks on things i enjoy
eating. I did find
> a site by hormel that enlighten me about some different
cheeses to use.
>

ok, benefit of the doubt given but still slightly wary...

Most sauces are done with plum tomatoes as they are
typically meaty. Not a requirement though.

To skin 'em, get a pot of water boiling and cut an "x" in
the bottom of them, just through the skin. Put 'em in the
water for only about 20 seconds or so and then dump them in
an ice bath (just water and ice). The skin will separate
slightly from the skin and they peel very easily.

Cut 'em in half and squeeze the seed out if you want to (I
usually don't but some people get bothered by them)

Then just dice them up a bit and put 'em over a low heat in
a non-aluminum pot and cook them covered over a medium-low
heat.

Add onions, garlic, basis, oregano, salt & pepper to your
tastes. Taste it often. The taste will change over time. Add
stuff as you think it would taste better to you. It's not a
science, more of a task of figuring out what tastes good to
you.

Chopping herbs? Well, for basil I roll it up tightly (10
leaves or so) like a cigar and cut slivers of it from one
end of the "cigar" to the other. There's a fancy french term
for that but it's not really necessary to know. ;-)

Bottom line? It's not rocket science. Jump in with both feet
and see what you like and what you don't.

There have been times when I made something and it sucked.
Keep at it and you'll figure out the flavors you like and
don't.

I'm not good with exact recipes as I just look in the
cabinets, 'fridge, freezer, etc and just kind of throw
things together.

Use fresh garlic and herbs if at all possible. (I grow my own).

As I said earlier, just jump in ant try it. You learn the
most by your mistakes. Always have a backup plan for
dinner when you're experimenting. ;-D


--
Steve
http://adirondackoutdoors.forumcircle.com

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
...
> Not a troll. I want to plant a garden for making pasta sauce. I'm newbie
> to this. Trying to save a few bucks on things i enjoy eating. I did find a
> site by hormel that enlighten me about some different cheeses to use.

there is an infinite variety on this topic, but here is an interesting place
you might start:


http://www.spaghettisauceandmeatballs.com/

Drew Cutter wrote:
> Would using a food processor be Ok ? I also have a food mill.
>
> Steve Calvin wrote:

First off, *please* stop top-posting. It's considered very
poor usenet etiquette and has been debated to death. Top
posters usually end up killfiled by most.

Food processor? Why not? I don't own one and probably won't
but as I said. It's not a science, it's more of an "art" to
come up with the tastes that you like. Just go for it.

Despite what some will tell you, there's no right or wrong
in cooking (well, for the most part anyhow), it comes down
to what tastes good to you.


--
Steve
http://adirondackoutdoors.forumcircle.com

On Fri, 4 May 2007 18:26:41 +0000 (UTC), Drew Cutter
> wrote:

>What do you cook the spaghetti sauce / pasta in ? Any special type of
>tomato ? I'm guessing the pealing of tomato is by hand ? What do you
>recommend for chopping the herbs ?

Since this is a food equipment discussion group, not a cooking group,
I assumed your question pertained only to the required equipment.

Most Italian cooking experts (certainly not all) recommend using
canned tomatoes to make tomato sauce. I do as well, since I'd rather
eat all my available fresh tomatoes in salads or by themselves, or
chunked in pasta dishes lubed with olive oil.

I use a 7-qt. stock pot to make sauce (actually the base of an
All-Clad pasta pentola), Italian canned diced Roma tomatoes, don't
worry wbout the skins at all, and chop our fresh herbs with a chef's
knife (8" Wusthof wide-body). Occasionally with very firm herbs like
rosemary, if I want a very smooth sauce, I'll use the small whirly
coffee grinder I keep around specifically for herbs and spices.

-- Larry

On Fri, 4 May 2007 23:05:01 +0000 (UTC), Drew Cutter
> wrote:

>.... I need to learn how to take the
>herbs from the garden to putting them in a jar for later cooking.

You might look at a resource like Cook's Illustrated (or someone else
might have on-line pointers) for instructions on how to freeze your
fresh herbs, either in bags or within ice cubes.

Or you can dry them yourself.

-- Larry

On Sat, 5 May 2007 00:57:33 +0000 (UTC), Drew Cutter
> wrote:

>Larry , any recommendation on a dehydrator ? Man somebody going to have
>my hide. Too many gadget for the kitchen.

Never looked at one. Maybe a warm setting on an oven, or a partially
open oven door?

We just put them in a dish on the counter and toss them around a bit
every day. But we're only doing about a half-cup at a time of each
herb.

-- Larry

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
...
> Any special type of tomato ? I'm guessing the pealing of tomato is by
> hand ?

Pealing tomatoes is very difficult both by hand or hitting them with a metal
hammer. They tend to make a very dull thud.

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
>>
> Larry , any recommendation on a dehydrator ? Man somebody going to have my
> hide. Too many gadget for the kitchen.

The Nesco from WalMart or other discount stores works well enough for my
needs. IIRC, it was in the $20 range.

On Sat, 05 May 2007 02:36:43 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>> Any special type of tomato ? I'm guessing the pealing of tomato is by
>> hand ?
>
>Pealing tomatoes is very difficult both by hand or hitting them with a metal
>hammer. They tend to make a very dull thud.

....unless you use one of Clara Cooper's copper clappers. The result is
very appealing indeed.

-- Larry (OK, no fruit here -- move along, go on home...)

On Fri, 04 May 2007 12:57:48 -0400, Steve Calvin
> wrote:

>Fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded

Nice idea...but where do you get YOUR romas in November, December
through March? Kind of hard to find ANYTHING decent round these
parts.

On May 4, 6:05 pm, Drew Cutter > wrote:
> Want to produce around 20
> qt. of sauce for the next coming year.

You need about 8 bush-style (the familiar "Roma" tomatoes) or 5 of the
larger, climbing vine types (San Marzano's are typical), which you
will need to stake or cage. Unless you have big sauce pots, you should
get "indeterminate" seed varieties. This simply means the plants
produce fruit throughout the season. A "determinate" plant produces
and ripens all fruit once. If you like sweeter sauce, add one super-
sweet micro-tomato like Yellow or Red Pear to your garden for blending
purposes.

I know everyone spec's basil as the herb of choice. But I'd get a
little Marjoram in the ground too. It's the connoisseur's "oregano"
<g>.

Ward Abbott wrote:
> On Fri, 04 May 2007 12:57:48 -0400, Steve Calvin
> > wrote:
>
>> Fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
>
> Nice idea...but where do you get YOUR romas in November, December
> through March? Kind of hard to find ANYTHING decent round these
> parts.
>
>
>
>
>
well, freekin' DUH... you AIN'T gonna find FRESH tomatoes
then. Your local store would probably be the next best
option... <rolling eyes>

I "assumed" I was speaking to people with SOME level of
intelligence... wrong again...

--
Steve
http://adirondackoutdoors.forumcircle.com

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
...
> Any rules on where to plant the herbs . For instance next to each other ,
> sun . Any herbs that can get out of control , spreading ?

Basil and tomatoes are natural friends - both like plenty of sun and water,
and the basil keeps some pests away.

Plant your oregano (don't know about marjoram) in a pot. It is very
aggressive and will take over your entire garden.

Remsleep

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
...
>
> Does this mean growing oregano inside or in some type of pot that is
> separated from the rest of the garden ?

Either way will work, given the right conditions. If you live in a temperate
or sub-arctic region, you'll want to bring it in for the winter anyway.

Remsleep