I went out to dinner with my friend Michael last night and we were talking food glorious food. Michael is a rare breed, at least in my circle of friends, in that he can cook. We were talking about pasta and he mentioned a new pasta that he has seen that absorbs more pasta sauce than other brands due to the way it’s been cut. While I can’t remember the name of the pasta (it wasn’t gluten-free so it didn’t register in my memory banks), it did give me a craving which could only be satisfied with a big billowing bowl of pasta for dinner this evening. Of course, no pasta is complete without a great tomato sauce recipe so I will share my mama’s recipe for tomato sauce. Mine still doesn’t taste as good even though I have the exact same recipe. 
Homemade Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine
Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium heat. My mum used to use a pot and triple the recipe as we’re a family of seven but a skillet will do. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through.
Remove cover and add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium high. Cook for garlic for 30 seconds until it starts to give off an aroma. Add the tomatoes. Add the tomato paste, wine and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 45 minutes. You can serve as is or pop into a blender and give it a whiz to give it a smooth consistency.
Deborah, or iDeborah as she’s affectionately known on Twitter, loves to experiment in the kitchen. Some of her best dishes were created by accident! She started this blog to encourage others to get creative in the kitchen… and to record some of her accidental creations so she can enjoy them again! To learn more about
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