Tomatoes for Summer!

Summer is slowly getting here in Cape Town and with the water restrictions as a result of a six month long drought, taking care with available water is essential, which is why we bought a large plastic basin to collect water from the shower to use on our balcony herb garden!

There's nothing better than homemade tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and basil. A good reason to plant some cherry tomatoes! Here we go ....

I've got my favourite old perennial basil in a large terracotta pot and there is some space still for a few tomato plants, especially the cherry tomatoes which don't get quite so big. Basil and tomato are great companion plants, so they should do well together in the full sun. I've just planted three in this pot.

IMG_0691

I've used some of the smaller pots that had plants in that did not make it through the cold winter (like one of the lettuces) for the other three, Finish off with some watering and we're done! Easy peasy and it only took 30 minutes!

And here's how to make the tomato sauce:

450 gms of ripe plum tomatoes

90 gms of butter

1 small chopped onion

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 level teaspoon of Himalayan salt

10 fresh basil leaves, shredded by hand

2 cloves of grated garlic

Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, peel and grate and set aside in a bowl.

Melt the butter over low heat and add the chopped onion. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover. Cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally.

Now add the tomatoes, grated garlic, sugar and salt and continue cooking at a medium to low heat for 20 minutes with the lid almost completely closed. Stir occasionally. Add water only if necessary.The sauce should be creamy and not too dry. Stir in the basil, remove from the heat and let sit in a warm place until needed for use.

Best with FRESHLY MADE PASTA!