IINH - Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

This beautiful sauce is best made towards the end of the summer when fresh tomatoes are plentiful, sweet and delicious. Oven-roasting tomatoes at low temperature concentrates their natural sugars, giving a sweeter and much more flavourful version – ideal when tomatoes are out of season. Making your own sauce also gives you total control of the ingredients with their quality and flavour.  The results speak for themselves – you will end up with a sweet, rich and velvety sauce. This homemade roasted tomato sauce just tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff – and it freezes great!
Makes 2 litre 

Grab your ingredients and make along with the video below! 
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Ingredients

• 1500g vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dried oregano or marjoram 
• Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 40g (4) garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g onion, finely diced (1 large onion)
• 80g celery, finely diced (1 stick)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree (50 grams)
• 800 ml chicken or vegetable stock
• Handful fresh basil, torn
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140C.
2. Arrange the tomatoes in a baking tin, cut side up. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle ½ tablespoon dried oregano / marjoram and seasoning on top. Lightly massage, then place in oven and roast for 45 minutes – 1 hour until softened and lightly charred.
3. Heat remaining oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and gently cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced onion, celery and marjoram/oregano and cook for 10 minutes more. Add tomato puree, cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the roasted tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until slightly reduced, then add basil and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Season lightly to taste. 
6. Serve as desired. 

Maggie's Tips

• Use this recipe as a base for soups, pasta sauce, meat sauce, fish sauce, dips and salsas, homemade baked beans, etc. 
• Tomatoes vary in taste and sweetness depending on variety and season. 
• Slow-roasting tomatoes at low temperature in the oven concentrates their natural sugars, rewarding you with a sweeter and much more flavourful version.
• This sauce freezes really well.