I’ve posted a number of tomato sauce recipes here on the blog before (See here, here, and here), however, I think this recipe is one of the basic recipes that every new cook should learn to make and perfect. Keep in mind that there is not really any right or wrong way to make tomato sauce. Every family has their own “traditional” recipe with its own unique flavors but the recipe in this post is meant to be a base outline of a from-scratch tomato sauce….
The black berries are coming into season around here. I was lucky enough to have a coworker that has more than he can eat and donated a few to our household. These guys are so big and juicy that we couldn’t get enough. Typically I like black berries all on their own, but I thought it would be fun to play around with them and try them in a recipe.
I stumbled on this recipe and new I had to make my own version. I mean pizza is always a great idea in my book, and then you add in basil and fruit and it’s like it was made just for me.
I added this in as an appetizer at our last pizza night with the Shauber’s and it was a hit all around. Not the kind of thing you’d really love as a meal all on its own but it was a fun appetizer that I’m pretty sure everyone enjoyed.
Side Note: It goes really well with a crisp glass of white wine.
Man on man is the garden booming!
I might actually be sick of cucumbers. Note to self: Plant less cucumbers next year.
Second note to self: more beans, we didn’t get enough beans this year. In previous years we had too many, this year too few. Finding balance is hard sometimes….
Chips or veggies with dip is quite possibly the easiest appetizer possible and it is always a crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t like a simple serve yourself finger food? I mean really?…
I love growing my own food.
It is one of the most rewarding hobbies I have ever had. It can, however, be challenging, there are bugs and bunnies to combat, as well as other pests, fungus’s, blights, weather, and in my particular case poor soil. All of these things can, of course, be remedied with the proper knowledge and skills, often acquired through reading or talking to people who have combated the same problem.
One of the major challenges seems to be learning to use everything up when it’s still fresh and good. Learning to properly dry herbs, can, pickle and ferment is always helpful, but the real challenge coming up with unique recipes that use up what’s ready to be harvested. It’s kind of like a chopped challenge. You may have an idea of what’s ready to harvest, but there’s often a surprise and then you’re left to figure out what to do with it. Then add in the idea of trying to use up the whole plant and then you really have a challenge.
This recipe is the result of just this challenge. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen the beautiful photo of fresh garden produce that I snagged this weekend. It was a really awesome picture if I do say so myself.
Once I had it all picked I had to figure out what to do with it. For the herbs it was easy, what I wasn’t planning on using for dinner was hung to dry. The cucumber was sliced and eaten as a snack while we waited for dinner. The Swiss chard and turnips were put into this recipe along with some fresh garlic that I had pulled earlier in the week.
While this is a simple dish that was quick to prepare it was especially delicious with the fresh veggies and made a wonderful side dish.
