This tomato sauce recipe is by far the best tomato sauce I have ever made. It may be a little more fiddly than some but the results are worth it. The richness of the finished sauce makes it perfect for freezing and the sauce makes a perfect base for soups (by simply adding a good stock), or a fabulous sauce for pasta, grilled meats and fish. The sauce when sieved thoroughly gives a silky tomato coulis.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 celery stalk,
- 1 carrot, peeled
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1lb 10 oz/750g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped into large pieces
- 1 cup/large handful flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup/large handful basil leaves
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
Preparation:
This tomato sauce recipe makes 1½lbs/ 700g of finished sauce. -
Chop the celery, carrot, onion and garlic into tiny pieces (1/8 inch/ 3mm), roughly all the same size.
-
Place the tomato pieces in a large casserole. Place the carrot, then the celery, the onion, garlic and finally the herbs on the top. Pour the olive oil over and cook for 1 hour, on a medium heat without stirring but just shaking the pan to prevent it from sticking.
- Put the contents through a food mill, (or if you don't have one use a food processor but do not over blend).
- Add the butter and further reduce the sauce until it is thick, about 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
-
Freeze in small batches as the sauce is concentrated.
