[ess_post]
This sauce of mine gets its name from the fact it pretty much has all the colours of the rainbow in it. Reds, yellows and greens – and best of all you simply cook it down, blend it, and it is so versatile. You can add some chilli if you like it hot, and it freezes brilliantly. I use it as a pasta sauce for the kids’ dinners, spread it on pizza bases, thin it out with stock to make a veggie soup or add it to meatballs and spaghetti. The possibilities are endless. This recipe makes a large pot, but you can easily halve the recipe if you want to make less.
Ingredients
olive oil
2 red onions
1 large leek
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
2 courgettes
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 eggplant
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 bay leaf
500 grams butternut squash, skin on
4 x 400 gram tins whole peeled tomatoes
28-30cm casserole with lid
Recipe
This is where you need to roll up your sleeves and get cracking!
Finely chop the onions, leek, celery, carrots, courgettes, peppers and eggplant. You want them all roughly the same size. Cut the butternut squash into 2cm cubes. Set the chopped veggies aside.
Heat 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in the casserole or a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat then add the rosemary and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until soft – take care not to burn it. Add all your prepped veggies along with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook with the lid on for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly until soft. Add the tinned tomatoes and break them up, then fill two of the empty cans with water and add that. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until reduced.
Leave to cool, and use a stick blender to blitz until nice and smooth (or do this in a blender in batches), then taste and season if required.
Once completely cooled, place in jars or containers and freeze.
