Kitchen Basics - Tomato Basil Sauce

What comes to your mind when you think of Italy? For me, it's good looking men, Vespa scooters in bright colours, high and low roads (Rome was built on seven hills, after all), the best food and even better gelato. 

Someone once told me that the key to good Italian food is fresh ingredients. Back them I was just a teenager visiting Europe with my parents, and considerably naive, so I thought to myself "Isn't that the case with all food?". Anyway, now that I understand cooking slightly better, I realise why this is true. As opposed to Indian food, where we have a battery of spices to pep up a dish, the Italians use very little of them. In fact, they mostly use herbs. Which is why the fresher your ingredients, the more flavourful is the food.

So when my neighbour gave me a sack full of tomatoes before she went on vacation, I didn't know what else to do with it except make my quick, easy-peasy tomato basil sauce that I use in many Italian dishes. Mind you, my recipe is very short cut and might not suit The Detailed Cook, but it works for me in most dishes, especially like Eggplant Parmesan and Ratatouille. Having a jar of this sauce in the fridge is also very handy, incase you want to toss in some pasta and veggies for a quick dinner.

Miss Stovetop's Tomato Basil Sauce 

6 cloves of garlic

1 kilo tomatoes, blanched and skins removed

3 tablespoons olive oil

bunch of basil

salt, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. While the oil is heating, blend the tomatoes and basil. If you like chunky bits in your sauce, keep a couple of tomatoes aside, do not blend them and see point 3.

2. When the oil is hot, use a garlic press to chop the garlic finely and saute it in the oil.

3. Once you can smell the garlic, and if you want the chunky sauce, chop the reserved tomatoes and put them in. Leave the pan shut with a lid till the tomatoes mush up, approximately 5 minutes. Pour in the blended tomatoes and basil.

4. If you're okay with a smoother sauce, ignore step 3 and pour in the blended tomatoes and basil when you can smell the garlic. Sprinkle the salt.

5. Cook for the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring in intervals. 

6. Allow to cool, pour in a jar and to preserve sprinkle a few drops of a freshly squeezed lemon.