Jarred pasta sauce with pecorino and mushrooms

Name: Jarred pasta sauce with pecorino and mushrooms
Ingredients: 5 kg meaty garden tomatoes; 1.5 kg white onions; 250 ml olive oil; 1 kg red bell peppers or kapia peppers or gogosari; 3 hot peppers; 3 heads of garlic; 100 g fresh basil leaves; 200 g tomato paste; 75 g sugar; 30 g salt; 5 g ground pepper; 150 g pecorino cheese; 500 g champignon mushrooms; 50 ml olive oil

Conserve - Jarred pasta sauce with pecorino and mushrooms by Catrinel N. - Recipia

Jarred pasta sauce with pecorino and mushrooms simmers for a long time with tomatoes, onion and basil, then is split into two versions, one with pecorino and the other with mushrooms. The base stays thick and a little rustic, while the pieces of cheese stand apart from the smooth sauce. I spoon it over short pasta and save a little pasta water for the plate. Prep: 75 minutes. Cook: 3 hours and 6 minutes. Rest: 2 hours. Total: 6 hours and 21 minutes. Servings: 28. About 220 kcal and 5 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the base sauce

5 kg meaty garden tomatoes
1.5 kg white onions
250 ml olive oil
1 kg red bell peppers or kapia peppers or gogosari
3 hot peppers
3 heads of garlic
100 g fresh basil leaves
200 g tomato paste
75 g sugar
30 g salt
5 g ground pepper

For the pecorino version

150 g pecorino cheese

For the mushroom version

500 g champignon mushrooms
50 ml olive oil

Preparation

1. Wash the tomatoes, score a cross at the top and blanch them in batches for 1 minute at a time, until the skins split. Peel them and process them in a food processor. 2. Peel the onion, cut it into quarters and finely chop it in the food processor. Heat 250 ml olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion for 10 minutes, until softened. 3. Chop the red pepper in the food processor, add it to the onion and sauté for another 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer the sauce for 90 minutes, stirring from time to time. 4. Crush the garlic and roughly chop the basil, or pulse it in the food processor for a few seconds. Add them to the pot along with 200 g tomato paste, 75 g sugar, 30 g salt, 5 g pepper and the 3 chopped hot peppers. Simmer for another 30 minutes. 5. Divide the sauce into two roughly equal portions. For the pecorino version, blend one half with an immersion blender for 1 minute. Add 150 g pecorino, half finely grated and half coarsely grated, then simmer over low heat for 12 minutes, stirring. 6. For the other half, wash the mushrooms and slice them. Heat 50 ml olive oil in a pan and sauté the mushrooms for 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Add them to the sauce and simmer everything for 25 minutes. 7. Taste both sauces and adjust each with salt, pepper or sugar, to taste. Pour them hot into sterilized jars and put on the lids. 8. Let the jars cool and refrigerate them within 2 hours at most. Keep them cold and freeze any extra; filling the jars while hot does not make them safe for the pantry.

Notes

I spoon it over short pasta with a little cooking water. Meaty tomatoes release less liquid; if they are very juicy, cooking may take longer, until the sauce holds on the spoon. I don't rush the first hour and a half of simmering, because that's when the large volume of tomatoes cooks down. The basil can be roughly chopped with a knife instead of being turned into a paste in the food processor. If the base tastes too sour at the end, I adjust the sugar a little at a time. Sometimes the mushrooms release water; I leave them in the pan until the liquid evaporates before adding them. The cooled jars keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, and any extra can be frozen in suitable containers; I don't keep them in the pantry after simply filling them while hot. Pecorino adds dairy, and browned bacon or other herbs can be added to the dish after opening the jar.