A Few Notes & Lessons LearnedOn herbs: Less is more when you’re canning, because flavors continue to intensify over time. What tastes balanced on day one can become overpowering or even bitter after a few months. Skip fresh parsley entirely – it’s notorious for turning bitter during storage. You can always add extra herbs when serving. I’ve also used oregano and thyme instead of fennel and herbs de Provence, and those also taste great!On broth powder: I use Maggi vegan “Gekörnte Brühe Extra fein”. It doesn’t cause off-flavors and holds up well with long boiling. Ifyou’re using a different brand or aren’t sure what’s in it, you can always skip this during canning and stir it in when reheating.
Wash and halve most of the tomatoes, leaving the cores in. Place cut side up on a large baking sheet or roasting pan – no oil, salt, or spices.Note: I leave out a few coarsely chopped tomatoes to add to the sauce near the end, for texture.
Roast for 3–3.5 hours until deeply caramelized and reduced. Check on them after an hour or so and reduce the oven temperature if they start getting too brown. You want browning but not burning.
Let them cool; then deglaze the pan with a bit of water to collect all the flavorful, caramelized bits.
Transfer everything to a blender and purée thoroughly.
Optional: Push the purée through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and any remaining skin pieces. You can skip this step if you prefer a more “rustic” texture, but I like a smoother sauce.
Part 2: Caramelize the onions and brown the meat
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the chopped onions over medium-low heat until golden and sweet. I take my time with this step and properly caramelize the onions. You can also just cook until soft and translucent, but they won’t be as flavorful.
Add the minced elephant garlic toward the end and cook until fragrant.
In a separate pan, brown the ground meat.
Part 3: Combine everything and cook
Add the following to the pot with the onions and garlic:· Strained roasted tomato purée· Browned ground meat· Crushed fennel· Herbs de Provence· Maggi Gekörnte Brühe Extra fein vegan (Grained Broth Extra Fine, vegan)· Salt· Pepper
Stir well to combine.
Add the 650 g of fresh, coarsely chopped tomatoes.
Simmer gently until the chunks of tomato are tender and starting to break down.
Part 4: Preservation (German Water Bath Method)
Fill: Ladle the hot sauce into clean jars, leaving appropriate headspace. This is a very thick sauce, so it needs ~3 cm headspace to prevent siphoning. Wipe rims and put on lids according to your jar type.Note: If you are not familiar with German water bath canning (which differs from US guidelines), please check my other posts to make sure you have all the safety details and procedures in place.
Process: Place jars in a water bath canner. Process for 120 minutes at 100°C (212°F).
Cool down: Once the processing time is up, turn off the heat but leave the jars in the water for 5 minutes. This lets the temperature stabilize and helps prevent siphoning when you remove them.
Rest: Remove the jars carefully and place them in a non-drafty spot to cool completely undisturbed.
Check seals: After at least 12 hours (and less than 24), remove the clamps or rings (depending on your jar type) and check your seals.If a jar didn't seal: You can reprocess it if it has been less than 24 hours, or store it in the fridge to eat within the next few days.
How to Serve
Open & Inspect: Open the jar and ensure there are no visual signs of spoilage.
Boil: Pour into a pot and boil for 10 minutes. I actually pour the sauce over my cooked pasta with a bit of the past cooking water, and then boil gently for the 10 minutes. (This is an added safety practice for waterbath-canned, low-acid foods that will inactivate and destroy botulinum neurotoxin, in case it is present despite no spoilage signs.)