Tomato sauce is a base for almost anything; pasta sauce, pizza sauce, Bolognese etc. This recipe is quick and simple and for those of you that are pressed for time, this recipe allows for batch cooking so you can freeze the sauce or store it in a jar
Makes about 1 litre of sauce
· 1kg fresh, chopped tomatoes
· 3 large onions, chopped
· 6 garlic cloves, crushed
· A handful of chopped basil and thyme (optional)
· 1 pint vegetable stock or water
· Olive oil (you can use what you have available too)
· Salt and Pepper to taste
Put your sauce pan on a medium heat and to it, add your onions, oil and garlic. Reduce the heat and let them soften for about 5 minutes. Next, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cover the sauce pan. Let this simmer on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are completely soft.
Add your chopped herbs to the mix, then add your vegetable stock and let this simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes. Job done! If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can pulse the sauce in a blender (do not fully blend or you’ll have a lot of tomato soup)
You can pack the sauce into jars or Ziploc bags and freeze. If you prefer to store it in jars in the pantry, you can add the juice of ½ a lemon or 1 gram of citric acid to the sauce and mix well before putting into a steralised jar. Your sauce should be stored in a cool place away from direct sunlight and should keep for about a month.