Back to Basics: Tomato sauce and boiling an egg
As students make the move into independent living, Phil’s in the kitchen with a Back to Basics masterclass - everything from boiling an egg to a simple yet versatile tomato based sauce.
Back to Basics: How to chop an onion
Back to Basics: Quick prawn egg fried rice
Back to Basics: Bolognese and chilli
Simple tomato base sauce
I like the simplicity of this sauce, it’s so easy to cook also. It’s so versatile, even reduced down to a dip/spread consistency, with a little added oil makes good eating.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes in juice2 tbsp olive oil1 large onion, peeled and chopped finely1 tsp caster sugar1 x 10g any stock cube, (If you are adding prawns later then go for a fish stock)Dash of any vinegar you might havePinch pepper1 cup of water
Add any of the optional extras below to achieve a deeper flavour:
4 cloves smoked garlic, chopped1 tsp dried oregano2 tbsp tomato pureegrated Parmesan cheese100g olives, choppedA small bunch of fresh basil1 large carrot, finely chopped
Or you could add any of the following to take the sauce on and make it into a complete dish:
4 rashers any bacon, roughly chopped150g any cooked meat such as chicken or pork200g prawns200g lamb or beef mince for a basic Bolognese1 x 400g can kidney beans plus a little dried chilli for a basic chilli
Method
Place everything in to a pan and bring to the boil.
Then simmer for 15 minutes or until you have a nice sauce consistency.
Serve with or over hot over pasta, microwave rice, prepared gnocchi with grilled meats or fish, or cold as a bread topping.
Also a little Parmesan cheese stirred through makes a nice change, if not a bit more expensive.
How to boil an egg
Ingredients
Eggs, at room temperature
Method
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
Bring a saucepan filled with water to the boil and then turn it down to a simmer so the water is at a rolling bubble.
Add the eggs and time the egg for 4 minutes exactly.
At 4 minutes remove the eggs from the water and place into an egg cup and leave for another minute.
After the minute remove the top from the egg and serve.