Pizza Sauce

Do you  buy pizza sauce or make it at home. If you buy it then this is the recipe for you. It's easy to make and doesn't need much time. Most recipes that you look up in the internet, they use canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Both these ingredients are not easily available in India, and my take is why not use fresh ingredients when they are available in plenty.

When you oven roast the tomatoes, the sugar caramelised and this intensifies the flavours.

I have used dry herbs here as I love to add fresh basil to the pizza / pasta...rather than adding to the sauce.

This freezes very well. So make extra and freeze upto three months.

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tbsp

Tomatoes 1 kg

Onion 1 medium

Garlic 15 cloves( small)

Carrot  1 smalk

Celery 1/4 cup finely chopped

Red chili paste 1 tbsp

Bayleaf 2 small

Oregano 2 tsp

Basil    2 tsp

Pepper pd 1/2 tsp

Fennel pd 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Sugar 1 tbsp (unrefined)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

2. Wash and pat dry tomatoes..

3. Brush them with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

4. Rub some oil on onion and garlic cloves also.

5. Cover them with aluminium foil.

6. Wash and peel the carrot.

7. Brush it also with oil and salt.

8. Now place tomatoes, carrot and packet of onion and garlic on a baking sheet and bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

9. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.

10. Once cool, peel the tomatoes .

11. Chop finely  4 tomatoes

12. Puree the remaining with carrot , onion and garlic. 

13. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan, tip in celery and red chili paste.

14. Saute for a minute.

15. Add bay leaves, chopped tomatoes and the puree.

16. Add in oregano, basil, salt ,sugar ,pepper powder and fennel powder.

17. Cover and let it simmer till you get desired consistency.

18. Remove from fire, taste and adjust seasoning

19. Your amazing pizza/ pasta  sauce is ready.