Favourite tomato recipes

Pipi Sauce

Perfect as a pizza base and to enrich pasta dishes. Makes 1.5 litres (6 cups).

25ml olive oil
10g garlic, finely chopped
1.6kg whole tomatoes, skins removed (30 to 60 seconds in water just off the boil will lift the skins for easy peeling)
75g soft brown sugar
200g tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the olive oil in a saucepan on a low heat, add the chopped garlic and cook slowly until it just starts to become golden and gives off a wonderful smell. Now add everything else and let the sauce cook away on a gentle heat for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You will need to keep a close eye on it, stirring often so it does not stick. When the sauce is ready it will have reduced a bit and gone a lovely deep red.

When the sauce has cooled, give it a good mash to get out any big lumps of tomato, then pour the sauce into a container. It will keep for 1 week in the fridge or bag small portions to freeze.

Bruchetta

This is an Italian classic and a favourite way to eat sweet and tasty home grown vine ripened tomatoes. You can taste the sun as the fresh juices dribble gently through your finger tips that then have to be licked and sucked clean! Well you can't possibly waste a drop of that goodness can you?!

Chop up the equivalent of 2-3 medium sized tomatoes with a sharp knife into pieces roughly a centimetre square. Place in a bowl and gently stir in 1 clove of crushed garlic, a few basil leaves that have been thinly sliced, a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve piled onto toasted bread of your choice.

Insalata Caprese

This is a classic Italian starter.

Not too thin slices of the buffalo mozzarella are layered with not too thin slices of fresh tomato and in between each, a delicate leaf of fresh basil (which loves to grow among tomato plants). When it's all laid out spectacularly on the platter sprinkle over a beautiful extra virgin olive oil, some fresh ground pepper and a very light sprinkle of salt – that's it!

Tomato Ketchup

This recipe has no added sugar but instead is sweetened with apples and dates – the resulting sauce is deliciously rich, sweet and naturally thickened, and gets rave reviews from young and old! It is loaded with pure and simple goodness – minerals, fibre and of course lycopene. Enjoy lashings guilt–free with just about any meal imaginable, but just watch the kids don't eat it all!

1 kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 kg apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped (I used Granny Smith but any good flavoured apple would do)
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
12 pitted dates (my favourite is medjool dates)

Puree in food processor with 1 cup water then put into a large pot and bring to the boil (add extra water if too thick)

Add a scant
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt (more can be added, once cooked, to taste)

Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally Add more water if needed, to achieve desired sauce consistency.

If there are any lumps finish with a final puree using an emersion stick blender or your choice of pureeing tool! Keep it in the fridge (but it won't last long) or preserve in sterilised sealable jars/bottles.

An abundance of tomatoes calls for some good recipes

Bruchetta