Mediterranean Tomato, Garlic & Olive Oil Sauces
A Base for Spanish and Italian Recipes Use Tinned or Fresh Tomatoes
Nov 7, 2009
Mediterranean Tomato Sauce with its base of tomatoes, garlic and of course that liquid gold the extra virgin olive oil that makes this salsa so special.
These recipes can be made with either tinned or fresh tomatoes, but if using fresh make sure they are a lovely rich red colour, tasty and juicy - not much to ask is it? If they are hard to find tinned tomatoes can make a better sauce than mediocre fresh ones.
Keep a batch of this sauce handy to cook Spanish Meatballs in, for a spaghetti sauce, lasagne or a ratatouille base, it can even be used on its own with pasta and a tasty grated cheese piled on top.
Mediterranean Tomato Sauce I
Ingredients - makes around 600ml
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves
- 1kg fresh tomatoes, skinned or 2x 400g cans tinned plum tomatoes
- salt, pepper, freshly ground
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with the garlic, when it starts to splutter add the tomatoes, chopped if fresh ones, and simmer for around 20 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Season with the salt and pepper and its ready to use, eat or cool and store for later use.
- Try the Spanish meatballs cooked in this sauce, they're delicious.
Or try this slightly more complicated and spicier one.
Mediterranean Tomato Sauce II
Ingredients - makes around 350ml
- 1 800g can tomatoes
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 tbsp flat-leaved parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp paprika(pimenton)
- cumin, a pinch
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, pepper, freshly ground
- sugar, a pinch
- 4tbsp white wine or juice from the can tomatoes
Method
- Drain the liquid from the tomatoes and save for later, chop the tomatoes roughly and remove the stem part.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic until soft then add the parsley and paprika, heat through and add the rest of the ingredients, bring the mixture to the boil then lower the heat, cover and simmer for around half an hour, until nicely thickened.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Put the mixture in a blender or food processor or it can be sieved. If a thicker coarser sauce is preferred then leave out this stage of the process.
- Use in a recipe or leave to cool and store.
See here for more Spanish Recipes or here for a Spanish meatball recipe to use this sauce.
