Quick sweet tomato sauce
SERVES 6-8
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
2 x 1kg jars or cans peeled plum tomatoes, drained of their juices
a handful of fresh basil or oregano leaves
cooked pasta to serve
● Heat 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan and fry the garlic until it is soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes with some sea salt and black pepper and cook fiercely, stirring constantly to prevent the tomatoes from sticking as they break up. As they cook, the tomatoes will release their juices. When this liquid has evaporated, add the remaining olive oil, the basil or oregano, and more seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with your chosen pasta.
Slow-cooked tomato sauce
SERVES 6-8
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and
sliced as thinly as possible into rounds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
2 x 1kg jars peeled plum tomatoes, drained of their juices
● Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or frying pan, add the onions and cook over a low heat until they are very soft. This will take at least 40 minutes – the onions must eventually disappear into the tomato sauce. Some 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add the garlic.
● Now add the tomatoes and stir to break them up. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for at least 1½ hours. When the sauce is ready, it will be dark red and extremely thick, with no juice at all, and the oil will have come to the surface. Serve hot.