A tomato base that will go with pretty much anything

Hands up, who else forgets to take something out the freezer for dinner in the morning? I’m usually the one in our house that preps everyone’s food in the morning so you would think it would become part of the routine.

What I try to do at least once a month is stock up on a freezer stash or two and my tomato base is definitely top of the list because I can use it in pretty much anything….

• Pizza for dinner – tomato base
• Pasta – tomato base
• Curry – tomato base
• Soup – tomato base
• Some kind of vegetable medley – tomato base

I pack this with as much fresh veggies as possible so I don’t get that “parent-guilt” if I shove pasta with sauce in front of my Wild Child.

All veggies can be bought locally from farm stalls around Jersey. This is also great for adding any tomatoes which are going soft.

Ingredients

Don’t worry about finely slicing as it all goes into a blender.. Hurrah!

2 x onions or shallots (chopped)
3 x gloves of garlic (chopped)
2 x stalks of celery (chopped)
2 x carrots (peeled and chopped)
6 x large tomatoes (peeled and kept whole)
2 x teaspooons sweet paprika
Fresh or dried herbs
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat up two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat.
2. Add your onions and garlic. Fry until starting to go soft.
3. Add celery, carrots and a glug of balsamic vinegar. Fry for 5 minutes, giving everything a good stir.
4. Add the tomatoes into the saucepan. It’s important to keep them whole for as long as possible so they retain their natural sweetness.
   
5.  Add in a good sprinkle of herbs, salt and pepper. I like using fresh thyme from the garden and dried basil. Pop the lid on the saucepan and simmer for an hour. Check on the saucepan now and again to make sure there is plenty of liquid in the pan. If needs be add 200ml of warm water.
6. After an hour, take off the heat and then add in paprika. You can also add dried chillies if you want a base with a bit of a kick. Let it cool down before putting it in a blender.
7. Blitz in the blender for 1 minute, or less if you want chunkier sauce.

The sauce will keep for 1 week in the fridge in an air tight container or in the freezer for three months. If your freezing a stash to use for little ones, then use a weaning freezer tray so you can pop out portions to quickly add to pasta or vegetables.