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For those of you who have kept up with reading these pages (for which I thank you – I hope you’re enjoying them), it’s probably pretty obvious by now that I’m no professional.

However, there is one part of preparation cooking (when I’ve been doing several plates for parties and gatherings and stuff) that I do want to talk about – and it’s one of the simplest things to do. It’s so helpful to make a decent amount of tomato sauce.

A tomato sauce bubbling away – on the way to being wonderfully versatile

Why? Because it’s one of the commonest accompaniments to so many dishes (at least a dozen spring to mind without trying). It’s versatile, simple to make and there are so many variations, most of which will be dependent on the accompanying dish in question. Ask any number of kitchen-dwellers (amateurs, dabblers or pros) about how to make your perfect tomato sauce, and you’ll get any number of replies. So, despite not being asked, here’s mine…

I use… a large white onion (not a mild one – one that makes your eyes leak at 20 feet), garlic, tomatoes (obviously), red wine, herbs, a dash of balsamic vinegar, a dash of Worcester Sauce – and salt & pepper to taste. C’est tout.

In an olive oil / butter mix, lightly fry the chopped onion, and break in a generous quantity of ground pepper (black or white – I prefer white) and a pinch a salt. I say lightly fry because I don’t want the onions to brown, only soften. After 5 minutes, add some smashed garlic – and be generous here, at least 4 or 5 cloves. Stir in, and a minute later add about 125ml of red wine, and turn the heat up.

Give that a few minutes, until the wine has evaporated – and it’s time for the tomatoes to go in. The simple method is to open a couple of cans of plum tomatoes and toss them in.

Howver, if you’re using fresh tomatoes, make sure you have some which you know are going to be rich in flavour. I’ll throw the floor open as to which is best – and indeed, would appreciate some advice. You probably don’t want THE freshest, just picked tomatoes – that would be sacrilege. Something picked a few days previously – having allowed them to fully ripen – would be dandy.

Incidentally, as a side issue, if you’ve grown your own tomatoes, I sit in envy of you.  I just do.

Place them in a pan boiling (unsalted) water for about a minute, until their skins loosen. Remove them from the water, peel off the skin, and chop, removing the seeds and firm flesh inside. Chop up the remaining flesh, and place in the pan with the onions and garlic. For the equivalent of two cans of tomatoes, you’ll need around 700g of fresh tomatoes.

Keep the heat high, and add some chopped herbs. I tend to stick to four herbs – rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil – and they combine for an exquisite taste. Finely chop them up in equal measure. You’ll want enough for about a tablespoon’s worth. No skimping – we’re going for a wipeout of all flavours here. Dried herbs are fine too – you’ll want about two-thirds the amount of them in comparison to fresh herbs.

You may notice there’s no parsley there. I find that parsley too often has a fight with the garlic, and seeing as I’d always want the garlic to win – I keep parsley out of harm’s way.

I also like to add at this point a dash of balsamic vinegar and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Cook on high heat, and you’ll notice the liquid from the tomatoes begin to reduce. Eventually it will start to thicken, so if you wish to carry on cooking (because, for instance, accompaniments aren’t ready), either turn the heat down or add some water. Point is – the thicker the sauce (without congealing), the richer and darker the flavour.

Depending on what your dish is going to be, from here you can serve straight away or you can add various ingredients. A couple of ideas…

– for patatas bravas or albondigas (meatballs), add a teaspoon of smoked paprika (spice of the Gods) at the time you add the herbs

– for a spicy side dish, add a couple of chopped jalapeño peppers and/or cayenne peppers

– for an alternative spicy dip to go with a Mediterranean mezze, add a teaspoon of ground cumin, coriander, paprika, chilli and caraway seeds

The quantities I’ve listed above are good enough for one dish for four people. Simply increase the quantities proportionally for parties, gluttons or simply for ‘I’ll save that for later…’

Would love to hear your variations on tomato sauce.

Cheers, Al