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I made this today for the first time in years. When I was a teenager, I was looking for a non-tomato pasta sauce because I am allergic to tomatoes. Beth Ann, a family friend, developed this sauce because nightshades aggravate joint conditions like arthritis and therefore her husband couldn't eat them. In the years since she passed it on to me, I've mislaid the original recipe but the spirit of the meal is easy to recreate.

I don't really pay attention to quantities; this is mostly "to taste."

- carrots (2 to 8; I used two but I usually use more)
- canned beets (1 to 3 small cans, maybe? I used one medium-sized can)
- onion (anywhere up to, say, two? I used one, because it's all I had on-hand)
- garlic (optional, as much as you like...I stopped counting after five cloves!)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- herbs such as oregano, thyme, dill, marjoram, etc.
- red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar, or red wine that's been sitting around long enough that it's gone to vinegar (I used a combination of balsamic and old red wine, today)

Cut up carrots and boil them, either in water or in the water-salt-beet juice that canned beets are packed in (or, often, some of each).

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Chop onion and garlic and saute in olive oil.

When the carrots are soft, drain (reserve liquid), add canned beets (drained) and process until smooth in blender or food processor.

Pour pureed carrots and beets into olive oil/garlic mixture, along with salt, pepper, herbs, and vinegar to taste. Add reserved carrot-boiling liquid if necessary. Simmer for at least 15 minutes -- longer and/or hotter if the sauce isn't think enough.

This is usually best if made the day before it's used, but I'm serving mine tonight. I keep wandering over to the stove "to see if it needs stirring" so I can have a taste. After each stir, a haze of olive oil rises back up to the top and the sauce shines golden.

This tastes like tomato sauce with a "special ingredient." I find it funny how surprised people are when they find out that there's no tomato in it at all. Most of the special unusual flavor comes from the carrots, I think.

The color can be tuned by using more beets (for more red), boiling the beets with the carrots (for less red -- the boiling bleaches out some of the color), or by using balsamic instead of red wine vinegar (for more brown).

Posted by sev @ 03:50 PM PST |