Basic tomato sauce

Serves:

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic clove (minced)
• 2 onion (medium, finely diced)
• 3 x 400 g tomato (chopped)
• 1 cup chicken stock (liquid)
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 bay leaves

Method

Heat a large saucepan on low and add oil, onions and garlic with a pinch of salt. Continue to cook on low for 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and then until onions are soft and translucent.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes – give it a stir every now and then to stop the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan and make sure it doesn’t dry out.

Remove from the heat, discard bay leaves and blend until smooth. Sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container. Or bottle it by sterilising jars and storing in the pantry.

Related chutney, sauce and preserve recipes:

• Easy rhubarb jam
• Orange marmalade
• Italian tomato sauce
• Lemon curd
• Apricot jam
• Strawberry chia fridge jam

Serving Suggestions

Note

• Experiment with the herbs you use – parsley, rosemary and thyme is a good combination. Basil is also gorgeous when it’s in season.
• Try adding chilli or curry leaves, ground coriander or fennel seeds depending on what you are cooking and your favourite herbs and spices, but the options are endless once you’ve got the basics right.
• This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.