Zen Garden Spaghetti

• 16-20 large tomatoes (heirloom, beefsteak, or large roma, for example)
• 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 3-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 Tbsp fresh garlic, chopped
• salt
• pepper
• 1 stick butter (can substitute with 1/4 c. olive oil, but butter tastes better)
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• Optional additions
• 1 Tbsp crushed red peppers (optional to make it a more spicy Arrabiata-style sauce)
• 1 package of ground beef
• 1 package of Italian sausage (Hot Italian for Arrabiata-style)
• 2 medium zucchini
• 4 red and/or yellow peppers
• 1 c. grated parmesan

1. 1. Roasted tomatoes (~2 hours)
2. a. Preheat oven to 475.
3. b. Cut half of the tomatoes into thick slices (approx 1/2 inch). Toss in a bowl with 1/4 c. olive oil, 2 tsp. salt, and 2 tsp. pepper. Make sure tomatoes are well-coated.
4. c. Spread tomatoes out evenly on an olive oil-covered cookie sheet. Roast in the oven, turning every 20 minutes until they are nicely caramelized and not burned or browned (approximately 90-120 minutes).
5. *Note: you can do this part concurrently or a day ahead of time
6. 2. Stew tomatoes (~60 minutes)
7. a. Cut remaining tomatoes into quarters and remove seeds.
8. b. Melt butter in a (very!) large pot on medium/high. When butter begins to foam, add tomatoes.
9. c. Stir occasionally and reduce heat to medium to prevent bubbling if needed. When tomatoes are soft (approximately 30 minutes), remove from burner briefly to mash tomatoes with a masher.
10. d. Return to burner on medium and prepare sauce.
11. *Optional: remove skins from sauce by hand, but it's mostly an aesthetic thing.
12. 3. Make spaghetti sauce (~45 minutes)
13. a. Add roasted vegetables to stewed tomatoes.
14. b. Pluck leaves from fresh oregano and chop coarsely. Add oregano and whole rosemary sprig to tomato sauce.
15. c. In a small frying pan, heat 1/4 c. olive oil over medium/high heat. When oil is hot, add chopped garlic. When garlic is soft, add mixture to sauce.
16. d. In a large frying pan, brown Italian sausage removed from casing. Remove oil and add meat to sauce. Brown ground beef, remove oil, and add to sauce.
17. e. Add salt, pepper, crushed red peppers, and other desired seasonings to taste.
18. f. Reduce heat to low/medium and allow sauce to reduce and thicken. Stir occasionally.
19. *Optional: Just add garlic to sauce and omit olive oil for lower fat content. For
20. even more garlic flavor, add uncooked chopped garlic directly into sauce.
21. 4. Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with grated parmesan.

tomatoes, fresh oregano, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, additions, red peppers, ground beef, italian sausage, zucchini, red andor, parmesan

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/zen-garden-spaghetti-50146939 (may not work)