Makes 500 ml of sauce

  • 1 kg large, ripe tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1/2 bunch fresh basil
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper

 

Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for 1 min. Pierce with the point of a sharp knife and remove the skins. Cut in half, discard the seeds and roughly chop the flesh. Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add the sugar, thyme and rosemary, and season with salt and three turns of the peppermill. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 30 mins. Rinses the basil and blot dry with kitchen paper. When the sauce is cooked, pour into a food processor or electric blender, add the basil leaves and process to a fine consistency. This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – simply pour into a screw top jar, drizzle with olive oil and close.