On Tomatoes and Freezers
Every spring, along with battling the pollen, we play the “What’s this?” game in the deep freezer. My husband and I deeply differ in our approach to freezer organization, and often I find my neatly placed items strewn about like chairs in a bar fight, all my order turned to rubble. “I was looking for something,” is usually his response. “What for?” I think. “It’s not that big of a space!” It’s a whole thing. Like, maybe a whole story. But today we have to restore some semblance of order. It’s spring, and the tomatoes are starting to blossom! What if there are leftovers from last year in there? And there were. Two jars* to be exact. Frozen tomato sauce from last year, lurking in the depths of the freezer. (*Make sure you read my take on freezing things in mason jars at the bottom of this newsletter.)
I carefully thawed the jars on my counter and poured the tomato sauce into a little colander. The water and the meat of the tomato separate when thawing so I strain them a little bit to get the majority of the water out. It saves time when reducing the sauce on the stove and intensifies the flavor. I promise to write about how I put up my tomatoes when this year’s crop comes rolling in.
I grabbed my beautiful Great Jones Dutch Baby and got to work. The Dutch Baby is such a great size. It’s not so huge that I can’t pick it up, but it holds plenty. Keeping it simple, I decided, Spaghetti, my favorite comfort food, would be the perfect send off for these last two jars.
First, I browned some ground pork in Graza Sizzle EVOO, and broke it up so easily with my Faberware Professional Heat Resistant Nylon Meat and Potato Masher. (That is a long name so I just call it The Tool.)
Then I threw in some sliced onions, roasted garlic, herbs, and parsley from the garden.
I usually pour in red wine and reduce, but I wanted to let those tomatoes sing a solo the first night. Just lovely. (I added wine, parmesan, and mushrooms the next night.)
Freshly ground parmesan atop my angel hair pasta, some sauce, and a glass of wine. The husband cut up a fresh cucumber that got a little Graza Drizzle EVOO and some balsamic love and dinner was done in no time.
Cheers, Happy Easter, Chag Pesach sameach, and Ramadan Mubarak to all.
*Note: I love my mason jars. I use them for just about everything. But do not freeze in them! I don’t care what the internet says: just don’t. They may not break, but they may. They broke in my freezer and they broke in my brother’s freezer. I thought, because his freezer is of the frost-free variety, that might have caused the break. Frost-free deep freezers are always contracting and expanding to keep from icing up so I thought that must have played a part. And then I found some of my precious sauce all cracked in my non-frost-free chest freezer. Cut to the chase, I just use my flexible plastic takeout containers (I call them Deli Containers) and move on with my life. I have cute labels too, haha.
This post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.