Spaghetti Sauce

This is the recipe I use for canning- we LOVE it. From the Better Homes and Gardens canning book.

15 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes
1/4 c. water
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red or green pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley
1 Tb. brown sugar
1 Tb. fennel seed (the secret ingredient)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp pepper

1. Wash tomatoes. Remove cores; cut into quaters (I just quarter them)
2. Place tomatoes in an 8 or 10 quart Dutch oven or kettle. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Add water to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered for 20 minutes. Press tomatoes through a food mill; return tomatoes to Dutch oven. Discard seeds and pulp. (Ok, this is where I just stick it in the blender by small batches until the whole thing is pulverized. Anything to avoid the pain and mess of the food mill)

3. Add onion and pepper. Cook until onion and pepper are soft. Stir in garlic, parsley, brown sugar, fennel seed, salt, basil, oregano, marjoram, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, about 2 hours or until reduced by half, stirring frequently.

4. Ladle hot sauce into hot, clean quart or pint canning jars, leaving 1- inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process jars at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes for quarts or 20 minutes for pints. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the jars from the canner; cool on racks. Makes 4 pints.

* Don't let the canning piece scare you. You can use this recipe as a guide for making just enough for dinner if you want to.