Mushroom Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut each tomato into quarters, then remove the white core. Use your fingers to scoop out seeds. Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side up, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Add 1/4 cup of the water to the pan and cover with foil. Carefully move pan to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes, covered in foil, while you prepare the other ingredients.

Finely chop the onion and mince garlic cloves. Set aside separately.

Use tongs or your fingers to pull most of the skins from the steamed tomatoes once they’ve cooled. Discard skins or save for stock.

In a large pot, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until just beginning to brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another couple minutes, allowing it to fry and darken slightly. Stir in the red pepper flakes and tomato paste, and cook for a couple minutes, until the paste is incorporated.

Add wine and simmer until mostly reduced. Add tomatoes and the water from the tray, mushrooms, tomato sauce, 1 cup of water and dried basil. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover until mushrooms have softened to the point that they’re edible, about 15 minutes. Remove lid and continue simmering until sauce is over 50% reduced. It should be thick with very little water left and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan between stirring. Mine took about 2 ½ hours. Season with salt and black pepper if needed (check first—the mushrooms and wine add a lot of flavor). Use immediately, store in the refrigerator for a couple days, or freeze until needed.

Notes:
1. Recipe yields about 8 cups sauce.
2. Use any type of tomato or mushrooms you like. I used standard, on-the-vine tomatoes and white button mushrooms, which are most cost-effective.
3. Use any wine you would be comfortable drinking, as long as it’s not too sweet. To omit the wine, add an additional ½ cup water and 1 to 2 tablespoons of sweetener (e.g., white or brown sugar or honey; use less if using maple syrup or agave) when you add the mushrooms