Sunday, August 21, 2011

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and Zucchini Pancakes

Yikes, a little behind on posts again. Back to school....no more free time. :( This is from a couple of weeks ago, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway.

I got very lucky last year when I found this recipe and it was exactly what I was looking for. A homemade tomato sauce with a chunky garden taste! I love that it gets rid of a bunch of tomatoes and we can use it on many different dinners.

With our 1st batch we decided to go with zucchini pancakes. They may sound a little odd but they are incredibly delicious. 

Homemade Tomato Sauce

10 ripe tomatoes
2 TB olive oil
2 TB butter
1 onion; chopped
1 green bell pepper; chopped
2 carrots; chopped
4 cloves garlic; minced
1/4 C. fresh basil
1/4 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 C. red wine
1 bay leaf
2 stalks celery
2 TB tomato paste

Bring Pot of water to boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Plunge whole tomatoes in water until skin starts to peel. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place in ice bath. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then remove seeds and peel. Chop 8 tomatoes and puree in blender. Chop 2 tomatoes and set aside.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic in oil and butter until onion starts to soften. About 5 minutes.

Pour in pureed tomatoes. Stir in chopped tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, and wine. Place bay leaf and celery in pot. Bring to boil, then reduce to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in tomato paste and simmer another 2 hours. Discard bay leaf and celery. Serve.

Zucchini Pancakes

1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 C. shredded zucchini
1 egg; beaten
2 TB onion; chopped
2 TB mayonnaise ( I use vegannaise)
2 TB butter or margarine

In a bowl, combine flour, cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Combine the zucchini, egg, onion, and mayonnaise; stir into dry ingredients until well blended.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Drop zucchini mixture by cupfuls into skillet; press lightly to flatten. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with homemade tomato sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

You can also have these for breakfast or brunch by serving with sour cream instead...yum!



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