Supermarket tomatoes sauces are a bit expensive and can be high in sugar content
and use industrial artificial preservatives. But you can
make some easy and tasty tomatoes sauces for your pasta, pizza, or even for
dipping with just a tomato can and some essential cooking herbs and vegetables.
Special Tomato Sauce.
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| Vegetable Tomato Soup |
You need: 2 can chopped tomatoes (about
400g each) - 1 small onion (chopped) - 1 carrot (chopped) – 1 celery stick
(chopped) – 1 garlic clove (crushed) – Bunch of basil leaves – 2tsp dried
oregano. 6 tbsp olive oil
1. Heat the olive oil and in a heavy saucepan put in the onion, garlic,
carrot and celery. Stir for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and the
oregano. Simmer in a slow heat for 25 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and puree in a blender or food processor
with the basil leaves
3. Return to the pan, season and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Because this is a sauce
rich in vegetables it is better to use two cans of tomatoes and refrigerate or
freeze the leftovers.
Extra rich tomato sauce
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| Tin tomatoes with shallots |
You need: 2 can
chopped tomatoes (about 400g each) – 2 shallots (chopped) 2 garlic cloves
(chopped) 50g unsalted butter – 5 tsp. caster sugar – 4 tbsp olive oil - 2 tbsp
red wine vinegar – Pinch of ground cinnamon a bunch of parsley leaves (chopped)
1.
Combine the
butter with the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. When the butter is melted adds
the shallots and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes in a medium-low heat.
2.
Add the tomatoes
and parsley; simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring from time to time.
3.
Remove from the
heat and purée the sauce in a blender or similar until just smooth.
4.
Put back the
sauce into the pan. Add the sugar, vinegar and cinnamon. For me 1 tsp of
cinnamon is more than enough. Simmer for 25 minutes further with lid on. Stir
from time to time.
5.
Put 50 ml water
in one of the cans. If the sauce becomes too thick add some of this water.
I use the extra rich tomato sauce for a strong penne pasta on a cold day.
But is very good for use with some baked pasta, sausage dishes or topping
simple white rice. Also is great for a dip with a nice piece of bread
Concentrate tomato sauce
You need: 1 can chopped
tomatoes - 1tbsp sun-dried tomato purée
- 1tsp dried oregano - 1tsp caster sugar – 1 garlic clove (crushed) - 3 tbsp olive oil
1.
In a heavy sauce
pan, put in all the ingredients. Add 50ml water to the empty can, shake a few
and add the tomato water to the pan.
2.
Then, stir and
simmer for 25 minutes in a low heat. Stir occasionally. When you get a thick
and concentrate sauce, season
That is a very easy tomato
sauce to make for 2, perfect for spaghetti pasta or like a tomato base for
pizza. You can add 4 tbsp. of parmesan cheese like some commercial sauces, but
I really prefer scatter parmesan cheese in my pasta dish. If you like to try something different add at
the end of the simmering process 50-60g of Danish blue cheese.
Non cooking tomato sauce!!
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| Peperoni pizza with tomato sauce like base |
You need: 1 can chopped tomatoes - 6 sprigs of basil with leaves – 1 garlic
clove (peeled) – 2 tbsp. olive oil - 1 tbsp.
red wine vinegar – 1 tsp. fennel seeds
1.
With a mortar
crush the fennel seeds and keep apart.
2.
Put the remaining
ingredients in a blender or liquidiser, and smooth nicely. Season.
3.
Add the fennel
seeds.
This tomato sauce is great
when you are really short of time, you don’t need to simmer. When your pasta is
ready and drain, mix the tomato sauce and pasta in a serving dish. Also perfect
for a pizza tomato base or topping a crunchy toast.
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Canned tomatoes Sauces.
