Hello!! It seems like the summer hottie vegetables are coming to an end just as we start getting really hot days! Such an odd summer!
Anyway - I am sorry but in my last email I forgot to fill in the amount of tomatoes below (I went down to actually weigh them and got completely distracted)! So here's the recipe again with the amount added ...
Simple, Fresh Tomato Sauce
A basic, but awesome, Tomato Sauce Recipe
~Extra Virgin olive oil - to coat bottom of pot
~one onion, coarsely chopped
~black pepper and sea salt (to taste)
~a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
~a sprinkle of dried oregano
~about 1.5 - 3 pounds of tomatoes, coarsely chopped
~one head of garlic, coarsely chopped
~1 can of organic tomato paste
~A handful of fresh basil and parsley - torn up (optional)
Heat Olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions, black pepper, red pepper, dried oregano. Cook until onions start getting translucent. Add tomatoes and garlic. Stir well and cook for about 1/2 an hour until they start to form a sauce. Turn heat to low. Add 1 small can of tomato paste. Stir in thoroughly and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Then at very end, add fresh herbs, and take off heat. Don't overcook this sauce - this isn't a "Sunday Meat Sauce" - overcooking will bring in bitterness and you'll find yourself wanting add sugar to try to doctor it up. This is a fresh, bright, tomato sauce.
I plated this sauce over angel hair spaghetti and sprinkled more fresh raw parsley over each bowl along with freshly grated romano cheese. Absolutely delicious. The romano and parsley flavors were just superb. I then froze the rest of the sauce in individual meal-sized containers.
And here's another great recipe from Rich Landau's new cookbook,
Vedge, which I just love! These recipes are intense and full of new and rich flavors. I just remembered I can put the link here!

Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking
by Rich Landau by The Experiment
Hardcover
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $9.99
Buy Now
I find the below recipe works well with Chiogga Beets as well (the Chiogga beets are the ones that look lighter pink on the outside and are striped red and white on the inside.). The Chioggas and the Goldens are a bit less sweet than the red beets I grow and work well in this delectable recipe.
Salt-Roasted Golden Beets with Dill, Avocado, Capers, and Red Onion
Ingredients:
* 2 cups coarse sea salt or kosher salt
* 5 lb golden beets, greens removed
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
* 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber
* 3/4 cup vegan mayo
* 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh dill fronds
* 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
* 1/4 cup capers, drained
* 1/4 cup finely diced red onions
Step one
Preheat the oven to 300° F.
Step two
Pour the coarse salt onto a sheet pan, coating the entire bottom of the pan evenly in a thick layer. Arrange the beets in a single layer on the salt. Roast until fork-tender, about 2 hours. The skins will become very dark, looking nearly burnt.
Step three
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the beets to cool on the salt bed. When cool to the touch, peel the beets by hand or by rubbing them with a towel. Slice them into rounds no more than 1/8 inch thick. A mandolin works best, or use a knife to slice them really thin.
Step four
Toss the beet slices in a large bowl with the oil, sherry vinegar, and 1 tsp of the pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 24 hours.
Step five
To prepare the sauce, combine the cucumber, vegan mayo, dill, mustard, salt, and remaining 1 tsp pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the cucumber has broken down into very small pieces and the sauce is thick and creamy.
Step six
Fan the sliced beets on a large platter or on individual plates. Garnish with the avocado, capers, red onions, and a spoonful of the cucumber sauce.