Oven Baked Tomato Sauce

Many many years from now, I’d like to retire and have a small backyard orchard, full of productive fruit and vegetable crops. We would have far too much of everything to know what to do with, and we’d give it all away to family, friends, and neighbours. With all the extra tomatoes we’d grow, we would make litres of tomato sauce and bottle it up, becoming slightly famous as a result (because it tastes so damn good). It would be idyllic.

Well, the other day, I could scarcely believe it when my parents gave me 2kg of tomatoes. Here was my chance to have a head-start on retirement and make some homemade pasta sauce!

– Jinn

Oven Baked Tomato Sauce

This is a great base sauce that can be enjoyed by itself on pasta, served with fresh basil and parmesan, or in a casserole, stew or with meatballs. It can be left on its own in the oven for hours, allowing you to get on and do other things!

Ingredients:

1kg tomatoes – cored with seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2/3 cup of olive oil
2/3 cup of red wine or red wine vinegar
15 basil leaves – torn up
Salt and pepper to taste at the end
Preheat oven to 150C

Method:

Mix all ingredients together in a 2L casserole or dutch oven, even a roasting pan will do. Cover and bake for at least 2 hrs – baking for longer will result in a more concentrated sauce.
Allow to cool.
Blend the sauce until smooth with a food processor.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Bottle it up and give to your family and friends.
Easy as!

Adapted and altered recipe for pasta sauce from Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion.