Kitchen Improv: Clean Crockpot Marinara/ Sunday Gravy

Make this basic marinara happen in your kitchen... or... backyard? That's where I'll be making this stuff for a while. My sis calls it "Glamping." I like it. Take THAT hipsters!

Wait. Why in the hell are you making sauce in the backyard? 

 Excellent question. 

Allow me to elaborate. 

We are involved in what you might call a "Renters Nightmare." Our  transition/rental home, here in Olympia Washington, has tested positive for black mold and asbestos after a major leak was discovered under the dish washer.

Great.

 Long story short: The kitchen was abated, gutted, and for the past month, my family of six has been without a kitchen while they take their sweet ass time reconstructing it. Time perspective: Our kitchen has been unusable sine June 28th. In lieu of eating out (cha-ching) and nuking anything microwavable, I choose to cook.

Today it's marinara.

Sure, I could open a bottle of Prego (barf) but, I refuse to succumb! I married an Italian kid, see? The one thing that we both agree on is sauce. Homemade marinara is what we like. And if you make enough of it... you'll never need store bought. Of course I was out of the homemade stuff- go figure. Time to make some more. Only this time, I'll use a crock pot... because I have no range. FML. I have found that crockpot Sunday Gravy is where it's at! I'll do it this way from now on.

I love set-it-and-forget-it meals.

Clean Crockpot Sunday Gravy, a.k.a Traditional Marinara 
Prep time: 10 minutes    Cook time: ** see below**
Yields: 3-4 pints of Sketti Sauce

Note: Traditional Italian food is ALWAYS clean. The ingredients are fresh and, most likely, picked that day. "Clean eating" is merely a catchy phrase for fresh. Simple ingredients make for the most incredible flavor. 

1 12 oz can of whole (good quality) tomatoes

Double Note: Don't use shitty, Walmart tomatoes, please. Use the good stuff- it's what makes a good marinara... um... good. Go $an Marzano if you want, but, I've found that Trader Joe's has quality, cost friendly, canned tomatoes- perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. Get the good stuff. You deserve it. Wanna go full hipster? Use fresh tomatoes, de-skinned.  Shout out to Serious Eats for doing the taste testing!! 

You've never lived until you've made
 pasta on the grill

1 Small can of tomato paste
1/2 jar of roasted red peppers
1/2 can of water (use the tomato can)
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 heaping tbsp raw sugar
4-5 cloves of freshly peeled garlic (whole clove, not pressed)
10 fresh basil leaves
Pinch of Fennel seed *optional, but it gives the sauce a beautiful flavor*
3 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sea salt

It's pretty simple really. Add all of the above ingredients into a crock pot. You can do the next step one of two ways:

**1) If you are preparing this before work- let it crock on low heat until you get home. 
**2) Or, if you please, let it crock on high heat for 3 hours and low heat for 1 hour. 

Up to you. It's a "set-it-and-forget-it" sauce, remember. Nothing to get worked up about time-wise when it's on low all day.  The trick to a fantastic sauce is minimal, fresh ingredients.... and letting is slow cook. Jussayin. 

Once it's happy and warm, add the crocked marinara, in small

Fancy, eh? 

batches, to a blender or food processor. Blend/pulse the mixture well and add your Sunday Gravy to some mason jars for later storage. Get some pasta going, rip off a hunk of sourdough,  and presto! Dinner is served, baby. The beautiful thing is... you'll have enough marinara left over that you can freeze or preserve for a future dinner. I guarantee that once you've made this marinara/ Sunday Gravy, you'll never want store bought again. If you are looking to preserve this with, say, the 'maters in your garden, check out my Jarring101 page.