My Basic Tomato Sauce

At the moment we have a bit of a glut of tomatoes from plants that Caroline grew from seed. They are a relatively mealy kind and therefore better in a sauce than in a salad. This sauce can be (and is) made in bulk and can easily be frozen for later use. It works well on its own with a bit of freshly chopped basil added before serving or as a base for any other sauce using tomatoes (including a pizza topping!).

What you need

• 2 – 3 kilos of tomatoes, quartered or grated (helps to get rid of the tough skins)
• olive oil to cover the bottom of a heavy pan
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3+ cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala or paste (bhalti masala/paste works well too)
• 1 tbsp “oriental” spice mix (see below)
• 2 cubes/2 tbps vegetable stock
• 150-200 ml white wine
• 1-2 tbsp honey
• sea salt to taste

What you do

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and when it is hot, fry the onions, the garlic and the tandoori mix/paste.
2. Add the quartered or grated tomatoes and the white wine and simmer until the tomatoes disintegrate (at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better), stirring occasionally.
3. With a fork, pick out the floating tomato peels.
4. Add the honey and blend with a mixer; you may want to add the garlic now (or add more garlic now, if you want the flavour more pronounced.
5. Allow to cool make portions and freeze the sauce.
   

The oriental spice mix could contain such spices as coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, curcuma, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seed, chili, sea salt etc.; some of these are also found in a curry masala like tandoori. If you are not really into these kinds of flavours, leave the tandoori or the oriental spice mix out.