It’s Ace tomato time at Webb Ranch – they’re great for making “Mary’s Famous Rustic Tomato Sauce”
We stopped in at Webb Ranch yesterday afternoon to check on the supply of just-picked corn and just-ripe Ace tomatoes – the two items that year after year are the ranch’s most popular with customers. We found both in abundant supply. The Ace tomatoes – “Lycopersicon esculentum” – are newly-arrived and at a season low price of $1.99 a pound (with a Harvest Advantage Card). They’re tasty in salads but superb for making sauces and canning.
Whether from Webb or your own tomato patch, here’s a great recipe courtesy of Mary Bartlett, who assures us “you can’t go wrong with fresh tomatoes.”
Mary’s Famous Rustic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients: Fresh (not overly juicy) tomatoes, basil, garlic, yellow onion, bacon, white wine, tomato paste
Instructions: Saute the bacon (about a strip per person) and set aside. Slice/chop onions and saute in olive oil. When the onions are just about done, add about a tablespoon of chopped fresh garlic. Be careful not to overly brown the onions/garlic. Add chopped fresh tomatoes (put a half a cup of tomatoes aside), a little bit of tomato paste, and a small amount of white wine. Add fresh chopped basil, reserving some basil leaves. Break up the bacon and add. Simmer for 10 or so minutes. Add salt and pepper – and taste. Use your judgment, adding more basil, garlic, and/or wine as needed. Just before serving over the pasta of your choice, add fresh uncooked tomatoes and basil.
If you like to stock up for the future, we found instructions for canning tomato sauce from an amateur chef and professional horticulturist on Foy’s Update.
