Not my usual type of post, but I thought this would be fun to share! I live on a basically no starch and very low sugar diet due to an intolerance to complex sugars so this is a version of tomato sauce I can actually eat (the store ones all contain tons of sugar and starch).
Ingredients:
- 10 tomatoes
- 1 thin slice of onion
- Several garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- large pinch of salt
- small pinch of dried chilly flakes
- a glug of oil
Prep
Carve an X into each of the tomatoes, finely slice the onions, crush the garlic and weigh out the spices (feel free to experiment with more spices - I had to limit mine since many spices also contain starch).
Now there are two ways to make this sauce: on the stove-top or in the oven. You'll still need a stove-top for the oven option anyway, but I personally prefer using the oven first.
Option 1. Using the oven
Put your tomatoes into a large oven safe dish/tray and add in all the other ingredients. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees, and put the dish into the oven. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, turn off the oven, mash the content of the dish (with a fork or a potato masher), and put back into the over for another 15 minutes (the residual heat will help soften it a bit more).
Option 2. Using the stove-top
Put all the ingredients into a deep frying pan and simmer on a low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring often. Mash the content of the pan (with a fork or a potato masher), and put back onto a low heat for another 5 minutes before turning off the stove and letting it sit for another 10 minutes.
Straining the sauce
Get a large bowl and put a sieve on top of it. Empty your pan/dish into the sieve (you may need to do this in a few smaller batches) and using a spoon keep stirring it till all the juices have been drained into the bowl. Discard what's left over in the sieve.
Thickening
After you've strained the sauce it will still be very runny and thin so it's time to make it thicker! Put the sauce into a small saucepan on the stove and slowly simmer it till it's the thickness you want. Make sure to keep stirring it during this process to prevent burning.
Finish
Simply let the sauce cool and store it in the fridge in a container. Do note that since this does not contain any preservatives it will not keep for ages. I would recommend eating it within the week after making it.
ENJOY!