Welcome

Reaching the final of Masterchef 2007 was a rollercoaster of emotion, with huge highs and lows, but I loved every minute and learnt a huge amount. I owe a great deal to John and Gregg who had faith in my ability when I did not believe in myself. Since competing on the programme my life has changed considerably. I now write cookery columns for two magazines, give cookery demonstrations and am just working on my 13th cook book - unlucky number for some but not for me!!! I love all forms of country cooking, using seasonal and locally sourced produce. This blog is to enable me to share with you a few of my recipes and baking ideas. Enjoy Hannah xxxx

Friday 14 September 2007


Whilst I was working at Caffe Caldesi, Giancarlo taught me to make a really simple but delicious tomato sauce. When I make this, I do so in bulk and freeze half for another day. It is lovely stirred through a bowl of pasta, as a tomato topping for a pizza or added to casseroles. I would never have imagined that a tin of tomatoes could be made to taste so good!

Tomato Sauce

300ml olive oil
2 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Course ground salt and pepper
3 tins of peeled plum tomatoes

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When it is hot reduce the heat and tip in the onions. Fry gently until they soften, taking care that they do not burn. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add a large spoon of salt and pepper and heat in the oil until you can smell the pepper cooking. The aroma is wonderful. Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and gently squish them with your hands so that they are broken down. Pour the tomatoes into the oil and simmer for an hour (or longer if you have it) until the sauce is rich and thick.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is exactly how I make my pizza sauce, I reduce it quite a bit for pizza though and if I am using it for lasagne or pasta I leave it quite loose... What other stars have you worked with, I ask??? Vida x x x

Marie Rayner said...

This is how I make my basic tomato sauce as well, have done for years. It goes really well in all sorts of things. With a little tweaking here and there you can make it go with just about anything!

Joanna said...

This is what I do, too ... the "fresh is best" brigade have got a lot to answer for, because Europeans have always preserved the summer glut for the winter ... and then made delicious things with the resulting bottles jars and cans.

Joanna
joannasfood.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Hannah

Many thanks for sharing this with us..can't wait to try it. I am just back from my first visit to Italy so will be interested to see how my version compares with the sauces we enjoyed in Sardinia

Best wishes

Sally
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