4med.red, yellow and/or green sweet peppershalved and seeded
12 lbs. ripetomatoespeeled
3T.brown sugar
2T.kosher saltor 4 tsp. regular salt
1T.balsamic vinegar
1tsp.freshly ground black pepper
2c. lightly packedfresh basil leaveschopped
1c. lightly packedassorted fresh herbsoregano, thyme, parsley or basil, chopped
6T.lemon juicedivided among jars
6pintglass preserving jarswith lids and bands
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from garlic bulbs, leaving skins and cloves intact. Cut a 1/2-inch off the top portion, leaving bulbs intact but exposing the individual cloves. Place the garlic bulbs, cut side up, in a 1 to 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cover casserole dish. Arrange peppers, cut side down, on a foil lined baking sheet, brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake garlic and peppers for 40-50 minutes or until pepper skins are charred and garlic cloves are soft. Cool garlic on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. For the peppers, pull up sides of foil and pinch together to fully enclose the peppers. Let peppers stand for 15-20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel off skins and discard. Chop peppers, set aside.
Remove garlic cloves from skins by squeezing the bottoms of the bulbs. Place garlic cloves in a food processor. Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks, add some chunks to the garlic in food processor. Cover and process until chopped. Transfer chopped garlic and tomatoes to a 7 to 8-quart stainless steel, enamel or nonstick heavy pot. Chop the remaining tomatoes, in batches, in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot.
Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Heat to boiling. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 50 minutes, stirring often. Add chopped peppers to tomato mixture. Boil for 10 to 20 minutes more or until mixture is reduced to desired consistency. Remove from heat, stir in basil and herbs.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice into each of the six hot, sterilized pint canning jars. Ladle hot sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes (start timing when the water returns to boiling) Remove jars from the canner, cool on wire racks.
Cook's Note: To peel tomatoes, use a small sharp knife to cut a shallow "X" on the bottom of each tomato. Immerse tomatoes in batches in boiling water to cover. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds or until tomato skins split open. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to a large bowl of ice water. When cool enough to handle, use the knife or your fingers to peel skin off tomatoes.