Yesterday it really started feeling like fall around Santa Monica.  A crisp breeze was blowing all day, the trees with actual leaves almost looked like they might be turning colors, and I wore my new pair of boots.

And we all know that new boots are the tell-tale sign of fall.  Even if it’s still 75 degrees here.

Just like it was in July.

We are lucky here in Southern California that summer extends well past the fall equinox.  I mean, the high tomorrow is 79.  But I’ll probably still be wearing my new boots.  Just with a sundress or something.

We are also lucky that our farmer’s growing season is extended.  Which means that tomato season starts late June and ends early October.  So while you’ve already seen a bazillion of my tomato creations I made these past few months, I have one last delicious recipe for you.

The Most Amazing Ever Tomato Sauce.

I had accumulated more tomatoes than I could possibly eat in a reasonable amount of time.  I think that’s when you realize you are an addict.  When you have more tomatoes than eggs.  Or fingers.  And toes.  Or all three combined.

When I had more eat-todayers than I could possibly handle, I decided I wouldn’t let them go to waste.

I don’t know if you know this about me, but I am also addicted to pasta.  (As you can see here, or here, or here…)  Spaghetti with red sauce is one of my weaknesses.  And usually my red sauce just comes out of a jar, mostly because I eat so much of it.  It’s usually a kind of fancy jar, but a store-bought jar, nonetheless.

I decided I was going to make the fanciest tomato sauce I’d ever had.

Enter here a Google search for fancy tomato sauce recipes.  But I really wanted to highlight the heirlooms.  I didn’t want to add carrots or chili peppers or all of the other fancy stuff.

So I kind of used this recipe, and I kind of winged it.

And then I ate it by the spoonful.  It was so freaking good.

This tomato sauce was actually so good that I bought myself a case of tomatoes last week and decided to make a giant batch for freezing.  I think a true tomato fan deserves the most amazing ever tomato sauce well into the winter.

So here is the recipe for the Most Amazing Ever Tomato Sauce.  If you’re lucky enough to still have amazing heirloom tomatoes around, buy a case and make yourself enough pasta sauce to get through until at least February.

Who am I kidding.  Mine will be gone by Thanksgiving.

The Most Amazing Ever Tomato Sauce

5 lbs eat-todayer tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 large yellow onion

15 basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup dry red wine

salt and pepper to taste

Remove the skins and seeds from the tomatoes.  Watch this video or read this article for help.  Save the juice and strain out the seeds.  Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and onion and sauté until the onions are see-through.  Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the tomatoes and strained tomato juice and bring to a boil. When the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer about an hour, or until the sauce has thickened, stirring from time to time. Add the basil, wine, salt and pepper.  Continue to simmer until the basil is wilted.

Eat with a spoon on its own.  Or add to pasta.  Rave about how you just made the Most Amazing Ever Tomato Sauce.

And try to save some to freeze for when tomatoes aren’t at the market.  Try really hard.

Then OxyClean your white shirt because what the heck were you thinking wearing a white shirt while making tomato sauce??