The co-authors will play …with her garden that is. Drunk Mama is vacationing in California and has left behind a tomato patch bursting with voluptuous, crimson tomatoes. Cellar Mouse, myself and others have been on duty to make sure the harvest does not go to waste. We are consuming tomatoes with every meal; with eggs, on sandwiches, on pizza, and Mudpuppy is climbing the fence to eat them like apples. My personal favorite is Cellar Mouse’s amazing tomato pie. Do yourself a favor and check out the link on our home page.
We wanted to make sure that Drunk Mama and Sober Dad are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor as well. They have been lovingly tending their vines all summer and it would be a shame for them to miss out on their harvest. So, Cellar Mouse, myself and our new best friend, Stephen Vincent Crimson, got together to make a sauce for their freezer. We also selfishly want to entice them home to New England. We are admittedly concerned that they may fall under the charms of a more temperate climate. On the other hand, we may find it hard ourselves to resist the allure of California wine country when we are reunited in 3 days.
Tomato Sauce Recipe:
Fresh tomatoes
Olive oil ( 4tbsp per quart of tomatoes)
Garlic (2-3 tbsp per quart)
Fresh herbs (we used oregano, basil and rosemary) to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Red wine ( about 1/4 cup per quart)
Wash and peel the tomatoes. To peel the tomatoes, immerse them in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon or sieve. When they are cool, the skins will slip right off.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you drop them into the pot. You can also crush them with a potato masher after they have been softened by the heat.
Reduce heat to medium, simmer the tomatoes, stirring and mashing occasionally. After about 30 minutes. Add the wine and fresh herbs. You can chop the herbs or tear them as you add them to the sauce. I personally prefer the second option as it adds to the rustic appeal of the sauce.
Continue to cook for about 15 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The sauce will be thin and delicious when married with pasta.
Wine Among Friends 
cellar mama said:
Good job girls! It looks delicious.
CellarRoomie said:
Ha! I made this the other night for Wine Brit and Cellar Mouse, only with no wine, 3x the basil, and half a potato.
And I pretended it was soup.
drunkmama said:
Hooray for tomatoes! Sober Dad will be so pleased when I tell him you guys have been harvesting and saucing. And tell Mudpuppy to eat all he wants (not like he can really be stopped — ha!)