Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Wash 8 half-pint jars, bands, and new lids in hot soapy water and keep the jars hot until ready to fill.
2. 2Simmer the new lids in hot water per the manufacturer's instructions.
3. 3Wash the tomatoes, score an X on the bottom, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, cool in ice water, slip off the skins, cut out the cores, and chop the tomatoes.
4. 4Run the chopped tomatoes through a food mill to remove seeds and skins, then simmer the resulting pulp in a large pot along with the sauteed onion and garlic (cooked briefly in the olive oil beforehand) over medium heat, stirring often.
5. 5Continue simmering uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until the sauce has reduced to a very thick, spreadable consistency (pizza sauce is thicker than regular sauce, which is why only half-pint or pint jars are used, ensuring the smaller volume heats through fully during processing).
6. 6Stir in the oregano, basil, and sugar during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
7. 7Add the required acid directly to each hot, empty jar before filling: 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per half-pint or pint jar, plus 1/4 teaspoon canning salt per jar.
8. 8Ladle the hot, thick sauce into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
9. 9Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula, wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
10. 10Process in a boiling-water canner, jars covered by 1 to 2 inches of water, timing from a full rolling boil: 35 minutes for half-pints and pints at 0-1,000 ft, adding 5 minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes at 3,001-6,000 ft, 15 minutes at 6,001-8,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 8,000 ft; do not can this thick sauce in quart jars, since heat may not penetrate the center fast enough in the tested time.
11. 11Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then move the jars with a jar lifter to a towel-lined counter and let cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
12. 12Press each lid to confirm sealing, label with contents, acid added, and date, and refrigerate any jar that did not seal.
13. 13Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place up to about 1 year; refrigerate after opening and use within about a week.
14. 14Always add the full bottled lemon juice or citric acid amount and keep onion and garlic within the stated limits, since a dense sauce with too much low-acid vegetable is not safe for boiling-water processing.