Homemade tomato pasta sauce with fresh basil

Back from London and finally recovered from the horrible jet lag and the crab in the office. To get myself into the cooking mood again, I decided to do something simple today. Something which I could keep in the freezer for the coming weeks to spruce up a plate of pasta or some pizzas. Nothing fancy, just a whole pot of home made goodness.

When I first started cooking pasta, I would buy ready made pasta sauce from the supermarkets, cook the pasta, add some meat and pour in the sauce. It was subsistence cooking that satisfied my cravings for pasta. After I learnt to make my own pasta sauce, I never looked back and bought another can of ready made pasta sauce ever! There is just so much more complexity and goodness in homemade pasta sauce than even the most expensive ready made ones that you can buy from supermarkets!

It is simple and easy to make. Freeze it and it is good for use for 14 days on any pasta or pizza night out with family and friends.

1. Stir fry handful of chopped garlic till golden brown in pot of olive oil
2. Add 1 box (250gm) cherry tomatoes & stir fry for 2mins
3. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes & 1 can of tomato puree
4. Cover pot and simmer for 1 hr. Stir every 15-20mins to prevent burning
5. Season with salt & pepper when cherry tomatoes have turned soft
6. Add two & a half tablespoons of sugar to balance tartness
7. Add roughly chopped sweet basil in sauce to finish

If you can, use a cast iron pot as they are really good in sealing all the rich flavours in. If not, a regular metal pot will do just fine. I cooked this sauce with a heavy Le Creuset french oven that Wifey carried all the way from Bicester Village into central London all by herself as my birthday present! Respect and lots of love! 

Prep time: 15mins     Cook time: 70mins     Level: Steady lah!