TOMATO SAUCE

The humble tomato sauce is the basis of so many recipes. It may make you think of classic Italian dishes involving pizza and pasta. Its also the basis of many other styles of cuisine from around the world. First, heres how to make the simplest version and I also give you ideas for variations for different occasions.

2 plump cloves of garlic finely sliced or chopped 2tbsp olive oil 1 x 400g (14 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes or 1 x 500g (2 cups) sieved passata Freshly ground black pepper

The garlic is easier to peel if you first just squash it slightly with the flat of your knife. Not enough to crush it, just enough so it gives. The skin will be looser and easier for you to peel off. Youll need a wide frying pan or saut pan to cook this in. The wider the better as you increase the surface area from which the water can evaporate to thicken the sauce. Warm the pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic for about a minute until it flavours the oil. Heat gently or you will make the garlic colour too quickly and taste bitter. Add the tomatoes or passata with a couple of grinds of black pepper and stir. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally leaving the pan uncovered. Simmer for about 10 minutes for a pouring sauce for pasta. Simmer for 30 minutes or more for a thick sauce that will stick to your spatula or spoon and be ideal for a pizza topping. Make sure you keep an eye on this. Ive spoilt sauces by wandering away to do something else, allowing them to dry out. Set yourself a timer to make you come back every now and then.

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I use this sauce to top my tomato pizzas. Itll make enough to cover a 30cm x 40cm pizza (12 x 16in) or as the base for a pasta sauce for four. In my house we often eat three quarters of the pizza one night, JJ gets the remaining quarter for lunch the next day and Debs and I have the remaining tomato sauce as part of pasta meal for lunch. When you simmer away the water, the flavours of the tomatoes intensify. The garlic gently flavours the sauce. Dont add salt as there is often enough in the other ingredients of the recipe youre adding it to. You can season to taste before you serve.

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TOMATO SAUCE VARIATIONS

You can of course replace the tinned tomatoes with fresh. If you have access in season to home-grown tomatoes or bought flavourful tomatoes, then this sauce is a delight. All you have to do is substitute about 500-750g (16-26oz) of fresh tomatoes for the tinned ones. You can skin them and de-seed them, then chop roughly into 5cm (in) dice. When I make this sauce with fresh cherry tomatoes, I do not bother to skin and de-seed them. Add in the same way as the tinned tomatoes. I often put a lid on the pan for the first 10 minutes of the simmer: the liquid is retained and helps the tomatoes break down. After this remove the lid and reduce to your desired consistency. Plum tomatoes have a higher flesh to water content and fewer seeds than other tomatoes and so make a better paste. This is why theyre sometimes called paste tomatoes.

THE CULINARY TRINITY: GARLIC, GINGER, CHILLI

When you add the garlic to your sauce, you can also add the other two members of the trinity for an Asian flavour. The chilli(es) can be added whole, crushed or chopped, using fresh or dry. Youll need to get to know your own chillies so its best to start with a little and add more. The chemical that gives chilli its heat is called capsaicin. About 90% of the capsaicin is contained in the white membranes of the chilli that holds the seeds. If you want to manage the heat you can choose to remove or include those parts. Be careful how you handle them and what you do with hands that have touched them. Capsaicin is only soluble in fat/oil so washing your hands with water will not necessarily render you safe. I wash my hands in a little oil and then wash off the oil with soap and water. Also, the capsaicin produces a choking fume if it hits hot oil, so be prepared and keep your cooking space well ventilated.

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Fresh ginger is an aromatic root. Depending on the effect you want, you can grate it finely or slice and chop it before you add it to the pan. Finely grate it and the effect will be more subtle. Sometimes you might want to have a bigger texture and burst of flavour than finely chopped or sliced ginger will provide. If you fry on a high heat, 20-30 seconds cooking will be enough. If you use a medium heat, about 2-3 minutes should provide a nice aroma and flavour.

THE OTHER TRINITY: CARROT, ONION, CELERY

This addition to the basic tomato sauce creates a fuller bodied sauce with more complex flavour. This tomato sauce is often used as a base. Simply chop an onion, carrot and stick of celery into a fine dice and add at the same stage and fry over a gentle heat for 5 minutes before you add the tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

BATTUTO or MIREPOIX
In Italy and France there is a practice of coarsely or finely chopping onions, other vegetables such as carrots and celery, herbs and sometimes bacon or pancetta. Gently saut this, covered, as a base for sauces, soups, stews and roasts. Details of this are in the Preserving Time chapter, see page 152.

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