A Recipe for Middle Eastern Tomato Sauce

 

You have a garden or farmer's market. Use them, and learn to put up food. It's a great benefit of the extra time we have now during this pandemic.

 I was asked for this, and every year I have enough tomatoes to put up about 8 pints, if not more. This will make four quart jars for canning...maybe.

• Gallon pot of tomatoes, any kind, cut up (Romas and similar will make a thicker sauce). You can peel them if you wish. I don't
  
• One onion, chopped
• Six cloves garlic, or more, minced
• Green pepper chopped small
  
• Tablespoon of dry oregano (use less if chopped, fresh)
  
• Other dry herbs such a basil (tablespoon, crushed) or thyme (up to a tablespoon, crushed). Use less if chopped, fresh
• Teaspoon cinnamon
• Teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
• Teaspoon salt or more to taste
• (Optional) 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes.
  

 

That's really it. I often cook the tomatoes down a bit first, bringing them to a boil in a heavy dutch oven, then pressing them down with a potato masher to release the juice. The trick is very slow cooking, and I let the sauce simmer on a simmer-setting burner, with the top tight or just loose enough for steam to escape.
 

Watch the pot and stir occasionally to avoid thing burning. Cook until thick, at least 8 hours!

This makes a great base for lots of Lebanese dishes and it can also become chili con carne, pasta sauces, and more. 

I brown ground lamb and add it, then serve it over basmati rice. Or chop and fry up some okra and add it. You can't go wrong.

It cans well, with the water-bath method.  One thing: be SURE to follow recipes well, including adding citric acid or lemon juice in particular! Granny had more acidic tomatoes than we do today.

Update 2022: I now use a pressure cooker method recommended by The National Center for Home Food Preservation. Their spaghetti sauce recipe is closet to this one in terms of processing safety to avoid botulism.

That Hurricane Thing, Again

Every year what I call the Atlantic Shooting Gallery lines up with tropical disturbances bound for the Caribbean and US East Coast. Though we live far enough inland to avoid the worst effects, my experience in 2003 during Hurricane Isabel and Tropical Storm Gaston taught me to prepare. My nephew Chris, with Homeland Security, has tried for years to get the family to do the same.

If Chris is reading this, I'll add that it's like shouting into a hurricane. It seems that only the bad experience of living through one does the trick. So what DO you need, beyond the expected candles, first-aid kit, oil lamp, flash light, battery powered radio?

A water filter: I was recently asked about backpacking filters, and I'm fond of the household and personal ones from Sawyer. But MSR and other firms make fine ones. Be sure you get more than a filter; get a purifier.  We used one of Sawyer's household units for over a month until we got a UV filter put into our well. It was clunky but we had lots of drinking water.

A full tank of gas: When the power goes out, so do the gas pumps. It's so easy to forget this one. I topped off our daily driver today, just before tucking it into the garage.

A fistful of dollars: I love cash. I don't like the government or big corporations knowing my spending habits. Yes, I'm Libertarian that way. Cash may wane in decades to come, especially after the pandemic ends (Amazon has been a good friend this year) but when the lights go out, cash is still King.

A chainsaw: Don't wait until the next storm hit to teach yourself. Also, don't get me wrong; if you don't know how to use one, don't get one unless you are willing to put in the time learning proper use and care. They are as finicky as they are dangerous. An electric won't do you much good after a storm, but it might be your gateway to a gas-powered one. I cannot comment on cheap brands, but I will say "buy a Husqvarna or Stihl." I own both, but currently I'm leaning "Husky" because it's lighter, starts easily, and I actually enjoy using it. The Stihls seem to have a life of a decade, and they are heavy as logs.

I am so enamored of sawing wood that I bought my own chain sharpener, an electric bench-mounted device. You might opt for a spare chain, and get the shop to sharpen yours as needed (it's not an expensive service). My one tip for new saw owners is "do not store E-10 gasoline in the saw. Ever." I have a source of ethanol-free 93 octane, and I mix a gallon at a time. I burn about 3 a year. If you don't have a source for such gas, either buy Stihl's expensive Moto-mix fuel if you don't use a lot, or buy high-test and never mix more than a gallon. Empty the saw after you run it.

A camp stove: We used our Coleman for the 12 days in 2003 when we were without power, since we had an electric range in the kitchen. It was simply nicer to cook outdoors, anyhow.

Block Ice: You may lose your power and food in the freezer, but even with a generator, you can only keep so much fuel (in our case, Propane) handy. I like to make block ice to extend a dead freezer's useful life. It can go in coolers, too, or be put in pet water when the AC is out.

A big tarp: Let's say the worst happens: a tree or part of it punches through your roof. If you have a tarp and some nails, you can make a temporary repair so you don't have flooding, too. If your roof is too steep to reach, don't even think of trying this. I did, however, once put down a tarp over a roof that a roofer had left partly uncovered, when a terrible rain storm arrived. So now I keep a few handy, and they have lots of other uses. If not exposed to UV light, they can last many years.

Now what did I not think of? Booze. But the sorts of folks I like all enjoy drinking. They have that one covered. And if you get through this storm unscathed, remember: this is early in the season. Get ready.