Tomato, Tomahto

This past weekend I ran into a friend and her mother on my way out of Target (looking for my canning supplies which were not there). We got talking about canning and her mother gave me a great idea for tomatoes. Rather than can, just freeze them. With an abundance of tomatoes, some mealy and overripe, freezing is the perfect use for them. So, using her tips and a little online research, here's what I did:

Blanched the tomatoes cutting an "x" at the bottom so the skins are easy to peel.
Hand squeezed them over a strainer to preserve liquid and remove seeds.
Placed them about an 1" apart on a cookie sheet and froze overnight.
Then placed them in Ziploc bags, labeled them and put them back in the freezer.

Talk about easy!

I also made one batch of tomato sauce. This recipe is originally from Lidia Bastianich and over the years I have altered it nad now call it my own.

First I made the tomatoes (this I totally made up):
Blanch tomatoes and peel skins.
Squeeze over a strainer to preserve liquid and remove seeds.
Then I took half of the tomatoes and pulverized them in the Cuisinart - this recipe calls for both smooth and chunky tomatoes.

The sauce:
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add in 2 minced garlic cloves (more if you like garlic) and let garlic soften.
Add salt & pepper.
Add in smooth tomatoes.
Then add in chunky tomatoes (I usually hand squeeze them into the pan - they should be chunky, not whole)
Add in about 2 - 4 tablespoons of sugar depending on your tastes and some dried oregano. Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce and let simmer for about 1 hour.
Taste to see if you need anything additional.
Just before using, add in torn or sliced fresh basil.

This sauce can be used for lasagna, parmesan, over pasta or can be pulverized further and used as a base for gazpacho or tomato soup.