The Heart of My Kitchen
Inspired by the stunning tomatoes in Cyprus, I ordered these on my journey home! Wonderful tomatoes from the Isle of Wight. These matched — no, surpassed — the quality we saw in the markets. Tomatoes are so versatile and have great health benefits. It’s hard to imagine a more important and central ingredient in my kitchen. If you teach your kids one thing in the kitchen, make it this. It’s the gateway to so many wonderful meals:
My Go-To Tomato Sauce
Here’s my tomato sauce recipe:
2kg best freshest tomatoes — ideally from your own garden — or your dad’s!
4 onions, chopped small
1 bulb garlic, crushed (leave out if you don’t like garlic)
2 tablespoons of thyme
2 tablespoons of oregano
A really good glug of extra virgin olive oil
Gently soften the onions in the olive oil.
Blanche the tomatoes, plunge into icy cold water and then take off the skins.
Chop and add tomatoes to onions with garlic.
Add thyme and oregano (either or both).
Cook, slow and low, with a lid on for the first 20 mins, for approx 40 minutes in total until reduced and concentrated.
Can add basil — I would add at the point of serving to keep its freshness.
Add a bit more EVOO for good measure.
If you use the best tomatoes you don’t need to add anything else like salt, vinegar, sugar etc. If I have only got cheap tomatoes or tinned ones, I add a bit of salt, sugar and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to give it a lift.
"It’s the gateway to so many wonderful meals."
Endless Possibilities
This will go with everything: on pasta, as a pizza sauce, or you can add extra flavours like capers, olives, anchovies or chilli, or vegetables like mushrooms and peppers. There are endless possibilities.
