Sexy, Sassy, Saucy . . .
SEXY SASSY SAUCE
Why is this recipe sexy?
Tomatoes are aphrodisiacs.
I’m not advocating you squish tomatoes all over yourself and meet your husband/wife at the door. Although, if that’s your thing, I’m not judging.
Why is this recipe Sassy?
Because I needed another word that started with “S.” Also, once you’ve eaten this sexy tomato sauce, you will self-sassify into one Sassy Chick or Chuck.
Nancy Lauzon is going to read this blog and say that I forgot to put the exact measurements for the ingredients. I have a good reason for this. I blame my mother. She taught me to cook without using a recipe book. Trust me, you don’t need exact measurements, it’s that easy to make.
Do you have a Crock Pot or a big pot for the stove?
Are you able to visit your local farmer’s market or the produce aisle in your grocery store for natural libido boosting vegetables?
If you said yes to both of the above, you’re good to go.
Why is this recipe Saucy?
That one’s self-explanatory. It’s a recipe for tomato sauce made the right way. By that I mean it’s not from store bought jar or can. If you’re going to use ready-made tomato sauce, then please call it fake sauce.
Every time someone calls jar sauce, Italian Spaghetti sauce, an Italian Angel has to eat a slice of Devil’s Food cake.
My people from the motherland yell (complete with hand gestures), “Mamma Mia! No! Please! No cans!” I know, this may sound melodramatic, but have you ever witnessed an Italian mamma in a grocery store when she spots shoppers slip a jar of insert name of any store-bought sauce into a shopping cart? It can get real ugly.
Tomato sauce (or gravy as it’s called in Italy) can be made many ways. Every village, town and city in Italy has their own version. Actually, every household has their own recipe. This is one of mine.
To my sister, if you’re reading this. . .yes, mine is better than yours.
Our sibling cooking rivalry will never end. But I do love her (just not her sauce.)
Ingredients:
Fresh Tomatoes – So fresh, you’re going to want to smack them.
Yellow Zucchini - You can use green, if you can’t find yellow. I have a naughty thought concerning, zucchini, but I’m really trying to keep this post clean and serious. Just think of their shape. However, cucumbers are holding the title for naughty thoughts these days in our garden. Thanks to a conversation my husband and I had about cucumbers. We have a 14 incher at home. Cucumber that is. I’ll have to blog about our erotic garden one day.
Roasted Garlic - Garlic will dilate blood vessels and improve circulation throughout the nether regions. It can also be a weapon of mass destruction and destroy a kissing session. However, roasting garlic takes the sting out of its destructive properties.
Red Peppers
Fresh Basil - Please do NOT use a dry herb.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine *Optional: However, I do recommend drinking a glass while you’re cooking or reading this blog, it will enhance both experiences.
Milk - For the love of all that is good and Italian please, DO. NOT. EVER. put sugar in tomato sauce. I have no idea who started this rumor, but it must be stopped here and now. Add a little milk to the sauce to decrease the tomato’s acidity.
Kosher Salt
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425.
Roast a head of garlic. When done, squeeze the roasted garlic in a bowl add some extra-virgin olive oil to the garlic, mix well and set aside.
Wash and dry vegetables (including the basil, dry each leaf after washing).
Chop the basil finely and set aside in a bowl. (I love a lot of basil, but you add as much as you like.)
Cut vegetables in bite size pieces.
Arrange the cut vegetables on a baking sheet.
Spray vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle some Kosher salt over vegetables.
Place the vegetables in the oven and let them roast for about 15 – 20 minutes (until all vegetables are roasted, but not charred).
Once vegetables are all roasted, take them out of the oven and put all the roasted tomatoes in a food processor, plus half the vegetables and whiz them until smooth.
Pour the tomato vegetable puree into a Crock Pot.
Add the rest of the vegetables plus the garlic and 1/2 the basil to the crock pot.
Add some milk (about 1/4 cup).
*Optional add 1/2 cup red dry wine – don’t use cooking wine, if it’s good enough to drink then it’s good enough to cook with.
Stir well.
Taste to see if you need more salt, if so, add more salt.
Cover and cook in Crock Pot on low for 6 – 8 hours.
Once it’s done, add the rest of the fresh basil and stir.
This sauce tastes better the second day, but still good same day.
Please stop by and check out my fellow authors Recipes on their blog.
Chocolate Cherry Dream Pie by PG Forte
Devilishly Decadent Dip by Moira Keith
Stress-Free Layered Salad by Nancy Lauzon
Decadent Angel by Sloan McBride
Aunt Noony’s After Glow by A. Catherine Noon
Sweet & Sassy (Oriental) Chicken Wings – Fab For Any Gathering! by Renee Wildes
If you have any questions about this recipe, or you would like to share your version of homemade tomato sauce, please feel free to comment.
I promise, I’ll behave, I won’t lose my cool if you tell me that you prefer jar sauce.
I may however, go all Kick-Ass-Chick-from-the-Italian-Village on you if you tell me you add canned tomato soup to any sauce recipe.
Posted on August 7, 2012, in Recipes, Selena's Recipes, Uncategorized and tagged Cooking, Italian Crock Pot recipe, Italian sauce, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Vegetables, Tomato, Tomato Sauce. Bookmark the permalink. 38 Comments.
I love a good sauce (aka gravy). I will have to try yours out. When I make mine I always use fresh fennel and sausage. My kids are super picky about sauce though and while everyone else eats mine up, my kids don’t. (I will not insult you or your Italian heritage by telling you what they do like especially considering they are also part Italian)
LOL Moira, you won’t insult me. My son puts some crazy stuff in his sauce as well.
I make a few different sauces. My husband loves meat sauce, I don’t.
I also make a plain, tomato and basil sauce, with roasted garlic, which I love on gluten-free angel-hair pasta.
There are so many variations,but my favorites always include fresh garden tomatoes.
Yes. This: “Every village, town and city in Italy has their own version. Actually, every household has their own recipe.”
That’s so, so true. Love this post. <3
Btw, I can tell we're kindred spirits. I've long held the belief that every Italian believes there's at least one dish they make better than anyone else. With me, it's meatballs.
Thanks, PG.
Looks like we’re going to have to have a meatball throw down. LOL
Oh. My. God. That is possible the most brilliant foodie post I have ever read. I am totally doing this? Now…why is it that I have never made my own sauce if it’s THAT easy to do?
Your comment on the milk (and sugar) cracked me up.
Hi, Shannon, nice to meet you and thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the blog and thanks for the compliment.
Note to self: Send Shannon’s comment to my sister. I will make sure to highlight the word “brilliant.” LOL
It is THAT EASY to do, just don’t tinker with it and put sugar. Not that I ever tinker with a recipe (crossing fingers behind back)
Sounds like a great sauce! Another great tip for sauce is a teaspoon of sugar. It counteracts any acidity in the tomatoes. So good!!
I found the culprit who has spread the rumor about putting sugar in the sauce! Rosanna, that is such a manga cake thing to do. LOL Said with love of course
Omg! I can’t believe you just said mangia cake!!! Lol. My dad used to call my hubby that
.
LOL! We call my husband a manga cake all the time, and in his cake he really is a Manga Cake. He has a sweet tooth like nobody else I know.
We all married Manga Cakes, (except for my sister). I wanted to use it in my book, but I remember the editor saying, nobody is going to get it. And YOU got it on a blog! Yippee.
Just to give you a chuckle, my very Irish Mom taught me to make a very similar sauce ! Did not use zucchini, but I’m going to next time I make it. I have a lot of requests for my meatball recipe, and I LOVE Italy…hopefully that makes up for my lack of Italian heritage! LOL. Thanks Selena, great recipe!
LOL Pat. My British mum-in-law had a recipe called Italian-Irish Spaghetti sauce, she used canned tomato soup and cream of mushroom. *gasp*
You know, Italians and Irish have the same type of families. Boisterous and love a good screaming match. LOL
You and PG are going to have to have a meatball throwdown with me, to see whose meatballs are the bomb. LOL
Thanks for stopping by.
Tomato soup and cream of mushroom?! Dislike! Dislike!
My kids are funny about veggies. I’m always putting them IN stuff. I have to confess to being a jar (Prego) gal, mostly because working 2 jobs means I have to do QUICK over STARVING. But this might make for a fun weekend dinner idea!
I know – now you’re all thinking “utter Philistine”…
And so another Italian Angel must each a slice of Devil’s Food cake. LOL I think there’s a loophole though, because you’re way too busy.
If you blend in the vegetables in the food processor, your kids will never know they’re eating veggies. Add some spinach while you’re at it.
As always Selena, these look like great recipes!
Thanks, Denise. Makes meal planning easy with so many great recipes.
Selena my husband lived in Italy for a few years and he was taught several sauces (gravy) from a couple of older ladies there (he is the chef in the family not me) I though he was going to have a heart attack right after we were first married and I went to buy a jar of sauce(gravy) you aren’t kidding about the hand gestures LOL!
Hi, Carin, thanks for stopping by.
I bet he has those hand gestures down like a true Italian. LOL I got some hand gestures when we visited Italy and refused a cup of coffee when visiting different relatives. They wanted my Italian card back.
I hate coffee, nutella, mortadella, oregano and cannoli. But hey, at least I adhere to the sauce making rules..
Yippee, you actually put exact measurements, thank you thank you LOL! I think I’m gonna get slapped around by an Italian angel … I use sugar, dried basil and canned sauce in my spaghetti sauce — SLAP! Forgive me, I obviously don’t have an ounce of Italian in my heritage. Can’t wait to try this =)
Oh, those poor Angels! What are you doing to me? Have I not Italianized you by now?
Next outing, Little Italy. There’s some great shopping there.
Okay, okay … I give up, let’s do it!
LOL! Put it on our summer bucket list. Hey, they have yummy Gelato down there and gluten-free pizza and pasta that is totally delicious.
Hi Selena. I never realized you were Italian, although I should have known with all your posts about your (dirty) garden
. Being Italian myself I need to tell you that this post had me laughing. Yes it is called gravy, not sauce. Dinner is served at 3:00 on Sundays, jar sauce is sacrilegious and never add sugar to tomato sauce!!! This recipe sounds delicious although I make mine much differently. No veggies just olive oil, tomatoes (from a can!) onions, garlic, basil, oregano and s & p. That’s my marinara. My meat gravy is a little bit different. Of course, when the recipe was passed down to me from my mother which was passed down to her from her mother, there were no measurements. Just—put a little olive oil in a pot, then add some garlic and some onions, etc. 
.
.
I would love to be entered in the meatball throw down as my mom’s recipe is the best, of course
And this Italian doesn’t like tomatoes, sausage or cannolis. Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone !
Hi, Michele, Paisan
the gravy you described is how my mom taught us to make it as well, only I just never liked oregano so I never put it in. I do use canned tomatoes when I run out of our tomatoes from our erotic garden.
Okay, you’re in for the meatball throwdown. Should be fun! I bet we all have the same recipe, but with slight variations.
I’m with you on the sausages, don’t like them either, but I do love tomatoes, especially when I make bruschetta – and as you know it’s called BRU-SKETT-A LOL
I’m thinking a blog on Italian customs is in order for the future.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting! Don’t be a stranger.
Hi Selena. I never realized you were Italian, although I should have known with all your posts about your (dirty) garden
. Being Italian myself I need to tell you that this post had me laughing. Yes it is called gravy, not sauce. Dinner is served at 3:00 on Sundays, jar sauce is sacrilegious and never add sugar to tomato sauce!!! This recipe sounds delicious although I make mine much differently. No veggies just olive oil, tomatoes (from a can!) onions, garlic, basil, oregano and s & p. That’s my marinara. My meat gravy is a little bit different. Of course, when the recipe was passed down to me from my mother which was passed down to her from her mother, there were no measurements. Just—put a little olive oil in a pot, then add some garlic and some onions, etc. 
.
.
I would love to be entered in the meatball throw down as my mom’s recipe is the best, of course
And this Italian doesn’t like tomatoes, sausage or cannolis. Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone !
Can we add a lot more wine? LOL
It is totally recommended. Drink as much as you want, especially when reading my ramblings. LOL
Holy crap! Marry me! This sounds awesome!!!
LMAO Catherine, you slay me!
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