Fresh from the garden: tomatoes, fennel, celery, basil, chilli
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver
We love to try our hands at something home-made, and this tomato sauce is a real winner. A bottle of it makes a great present too!
Equipment:
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Ingredients:
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What to do:
- Peel and chop the onion. Wash, trim and roughly chop the fennel & celery. Peel and roughly chop the ginger and garlic. De-seed and carefully chop the chilli.
- Wash the basil, pick off the leaves and chop the stalks.
- Wash and drain the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.
- Place all the vegetables in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with a big splash of olive oil and the ginger, garlic, chilli, basil stalks, coriander seeds and cloves. Season with the pepper and a good pinch of salt.
- Cook gently over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until softened, stirring every so often. Add all the tomatoes and 1½ cups of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the sauce reduces by half.
- Add the basil leaves, then whiz the sauce with the hand blender and push it through the sieve twice, to make it smooth and shiny. Put the sauce into a clean pan and add the vinegar and the sugar. Place the sauce on the heat and simmer until it reduces and thickens to the consistency of tomato ketchup. At this point, correct the seasoning to taste.
- Serve immediately or keep, covered, in the fridge for up to five days.
- Or for preserving: Carefully spoon the ketchup through a sterilized funnel into sterilized bottles if using, then seal tightly and place in a cool dark place until needed – it should keep for six months.
Notes: Where does the word ketchup come from? What does to sterilize mean?
The Bondi Cook 