Homemade Tomato Sauce (Salsa de Tomate)

Hello?! Anyone still out there??? I have been absent from the blogosphere for way too long, and for that I apologize. At first I was missing because we were in the process of moving to my suegro's house and we were waiting for our internet service to be installed. What I had hoped would only be a two week wait, at most, turned into a long, drawn-out five weeks and I was suffering from major social media withdrawals. (FOMO?!) Most of my time during those five weeks was spent packing up things at our old place while also clearing out the rooms we'd be moving to at my father-in-law's, painting, and making minor repairs before we "officially" moved in. The week our internet was finally installed, my in-laws (Alf's brother & sister) both came to visit from the US so that week was spent with the family. The week after my in-laws left we finished moving all of our stuff into my suegro's house. Now all we had to do was settle into our "new" place and I'd finally have some time to sit at my computer to work, blog, and get back to doing what I love most... sharing recipes.

But then I got sick with an upper respiratory infection and my asthma was going loco. I was ordered complete bedrest and didn't have it in me to even open my laptop. It took me about a week and a half to fully recover, and by then it was time to leave for our annual Semana Santa (holy week) camping trip with Alf's brothers and their families. Which brings us to today. It's Monday, we're back from our camping trip, I'm feeling much better healthwise, and I am beyond ready for things to return to normal at home and especially in my cocina.

No matter what's going on in our lives, Mondays are the busiest day in my cocina. Every Monday it's the same thing... I prepare three staples that will usually last us the entire week: Frijoles de la Olla (cooked pinto beans), Chile de Molacajete (roasted tomatillo and chile de arbol salsa), and a simple salsa de tomate (homemade tomato sauce). While most people think of salsas as being somewhat spicy, the word "salsa" actually refers to any kind of sauce - spicy or mild. This mild tomato salsa seasoned with sliced red onion and crushed oregano is traditionally served over tostadas, sopes, burritos, and enchiladas. It can also be used to make chilaquiles, entomatadas, and even birria. The possibilities are truly endless.

Salsa de Tomate 
(Homemade Tomato Sauce)


Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ripe roma tomatoes 
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced (optional) 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed (optional) 

Directions: 

Place tomatoes in a large stockpot; fill pot with enough water to cover the tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tomatoes have softened completely. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. 

With a slotted spoon carefully transfer the cooked tomatoes to a blender. Puree until smooth. (Depending on the size of your blender, you may have puree the cooked tomatoes in batches.) Pour into a large bowl; season with coarse salt to taste. If the sauce is too thick stir in 1 cup of the cooking water from the tomatoes. (The sauce should be about the same consistency as tomato sauce.) Stir in the red onion slices and dried oregano. Enjoy! 

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