Tomato Sauce for Pasta

This sauce is the argument sauce, everyone has there own version and everyone’s version is right. I had a friend squeeze ketchup into a tomato sauce I had on the stove once because she reckoned my sauce was not sweet enough. Needless to say she was sacked as my girlfriend and she left the house wearing the sauce. Just joking, come on. Any way the tomato sauce for pasta is really simple and so it should be. This is a good basic recipe and you can add a variety of items. The key when starting from scratch is to reduce your tomatoes to a paste before starting your sauce. There are many forms of tomato paste and fresh paste is no where near the refined level that one expects when using manufactured paste. Most of which is very good quality. First we will discuss the sauce then I will discuss making tomato paste.

2 large onions

6 gloves of garlic

3 bay leaves

500 ml of tomato paste

500 ml chicken stock

1 litre water

Slice the onions and garlic thin, thin, thin, did I say thin. Sauté the onions and garlic but don’t burn them add the paste 100 ml at a time stirring through the onions, increase the heat and fry the paste and veggies until they start to become darker, then add the stock and water. Add bay leaves and simmer for 2 hours. Reduce to desired thickness. That’s it simple. This is a versatile sauce that can be used in a variety of recipes and can be a great base for hot sauce’s. Pumpkin can also be used as a reduction base for hot sauces and is a pleasant change.

Making  Tomato Paste

Get a heap of tomatoes and a really big pot. Poach the tomatoes quickly until the skin starts to lift. Remove tomatoes to a large bowl and let cool. Now peel off all the skin and remove the seeds, then return to the pot with the liquid from the tomatoes after being drained and begin simmering.

Simmer, stir, simmer, stir, simmer, stir, simmer, stir. This is a reduction base. IF the consistency is not right add water and repeat the process. Simmer, stir, simmer, stir, simmer, stir. This paste can now return to the refrigerator to be used when you need it. In a jar covered with olive oil it will easily keep a couple of weeks. Probably longer.