Bottled Spaghetti . . .

As I was getting the preserver out for the pasta sauce, I decided to take out some of the tomatoes I had prepared for Spaghetti and had popped into the freezer. I had so much fruit to bottle that the spaghetti was left for another time, like now.

This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce recipe has been a family favourite for as long as I can remember. It is really simple to make, and the flavours are fantastic. So much better than tinned spaghetti. Whenever the grandchildren stay it is the first thing they ask for. Spaghetti with farm reared sausages is definitely a hit.

This is one of those meals that always tastes amazing, and it is perfect for busy weekend lunches at this time of year. Spaghetti piled on toast with grated cheese on the top is Bruce's favourite way to have it.

Like the pasta sauce I make, this is also very easy.  Start by washing quart size jars and putting them in a low oven to sterilize.

I placed the frozen tomatoes over a very low heat to defrost while I made and preserved the pasta sauce. I did remove the plastic bags lol. This is the only tomato recipe I make that I remove the skin from the tomatoes. To do this, I dip them in boiling water and the skin just slides off. I did this step before I froze them.

To make the sauce I added the onions and garlic to the tomatoes and cooked them until they were pulpy. Using the stick blended I pureed the vegetables and added the sugar, salt and pepper. Then while they simmered, I prepared the thickening. Melt the butter in a pot, add all of the flour and make a roux. Add the tomato sauce and ladle in the tomato puree mixture. Simmer for a further 20 minutes. While that simmered, I put a pot of water on to boil and cooked the spaghetti till just al dente - about 8 minutes or so. When cooked I drained it and placed it in a bowl of cold water to stop it cooking any more.

Next, I poured boiling water over the seals and placed seven jars on the bench ready to go. Using a jug, I half-filled the jars with sauce and then divided the spaghetti amongst them. After draining the spaghetti for the second time, I poured boiling water over them to reheat them. Using a chopstick, I stirred the spaghetti into the sauce and topped up the jars with more sauce leaving a 2cm headspace at the top. Wipe the rim clean and place the lid on the jar. Apply band and turn until it is fingertip tight. Place jar in the boiling water in the preserver. Repeat until all jars are sealed and in the water. Add more boiling water to cover the jars completely. It probably appears like there isn't a lot of pasta in each jar, but it works out perfectly.

Process the quart jars for 1½ hours. Check every now and then to make sure the jars are covered with water, add more as required. Turn off the heat and remove the jars carefully from the water bath, remember that steam burns, place on a towel, tighten the bands and let cool to room temperature. Make sure you use gloves or a cloth when tightening the bands as they are extremely hot. When they have cooled, check to make sure the jars have sealed correctly. If any jars haven’t sealed, they will need to be refrigerated and used within three days or you can tip them into bags and freeze them. However, it is rare for jars not to seal. 
Note - Spaghetti does not need the citric acid.

Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce Recipe. . .

Sauce - 

6 kg Tomatoes - skinned and sliced
1½ kg Onions - diced
10 tsp crushed garlic
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon common/plain salt - do not use iodized salt
Freshly ground pepper

Thickening -

250g butter
1 cup flour
1 cup tomato sauce - homemade

500g packet Spaghetti

Prepare as above.

#Spaghetti #SpaghettiBottled #SpaghettiCanned #Tomatoes #SpaghettiInTomatoSauce

14th May 2024