Homemade Roasted Plum Tomato Marinara

(yields roughly 10-12 cups of sauce)

For roasting the tomatoes:

6 lb plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tb chopped rosemary (4-6 sprigs)

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper

2 tb balsamic vinegar

Coat tomatoes with the oil, vinegar and spices. Place in a baking dish in the center of the oven and broil for 30 minutes.

For the sauté:

2 large sweet onions, diced

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tb butter

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 thyme bundle (20-30 sprigs)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Melt the butter into the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the onion, salt, cracked black pepper and thyme bundle and cook down for 25 minutes.

Bringing it all together:

Combine the roasted tomatoes and sautéed onions in the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Using an emersion blender or a standing blender, blend at least half of the sauce. You can blend more of it for a smoother sauce or less for a more chunky sauce. Combine the blended and unblended tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes.