10 Veg Tomato Sauce

To me, nothing says comfort food like spaghetti. Serve it with a perfectly cooked striploin steak and you have the ultimate meal. This recipe is for a hearty tomato sauce, packed full of 10 different vegetables. Every step is an exercise in building flavor, so that every veggie's taste is highlighted and enhanced. Bon appetit! (makes about 3L)

In a large pot bring salted (about 1tsp of salt) water (enough to cover broccoli and cauliflower) to a boil, cook broccoli and cauliflower for 3 minutes, drain then return to pan. Add 2tbsp of butter, grated Romano cheese and 1 tbsp of cracked black pepper, toss and set aside until later. 

Meanwhile in another large pot, on med high heat, bring  1tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil to a sizzle, add chopped onion, carrots, garlic and leeks, saute until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and 1 cup of olive oil to previous mixture, bring to a boil on high, then reduce heat to med and simmer for about 45 minutes.

While your sauce is simmering, in another pan heat 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil on med high, saute mushrooms first until they begin to turn golden, about 10mins. Then add chopped zucchini and red peppers and oregano and saute for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In batches with food processor or hand mixer, puree tomato, onion, carrot and leek mixture. Return to pot and add, mushroom mixture, and broccoli mixture. Add fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste ( about 2 tbsp of each). You can also add a little fresh cream if you'd like. Simmer to allow flavors to blend, then serve with fresh pasta or spaghetti squash.

This sauce is a great base, you can add ground beef, turkey or chorizo sausage.  Or serve it with your favorite white fish or red meat.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a cauliflower head cleaned, stems removed, chopped uniformly
• equal amount of broccoli or broccolini (about 3 florets)
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
• chopped carrots (same amount as onion)
• 1 leek (cleaned and chopped, refer to Leek and potato soup for know how)
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 1  and a1/2 cups of chopped mushrooms
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped (or more)
• 1 red pepper
• 2 tbsp dried oregano (fresh is great too)
• 2 cans of whole or chopped unseasoned tomatoes ( 800ml each)
• 1cup and 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 5 tbsp of butter
• 3 tbsp of cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 2-3 tbsp of sea salt (to taste)
• 1 and1/4 cup shredded romano pedano cheese

optional; add 1/4 cup of heavy cream.