Tomato sauces

my favourite breakfast relish and a charred salsa

Tomato sauce is an important condiment for many meals. A meat pie, a sausage in bread; to me these are not worth eating without some sauce on top. Over the years I’ve learnt to make fun variations on the classic ketchup style sauce I grew up eating. Below I’ve written out two favourite spicy tomato sauces that I like to make, and both will last in the fridge for about a week.

Relish with a breakfast burrito and charred salsa with all the fixings

The first is a tomato relish that brings some life to an otherwise ordinary plate. It goes beautifully slathered on a multitude of things including breakfast burritos, nachos, sharp cheese and ham, toast with avocado and fried eggs, a piece of focaccia or a steak and veg dinner. The relish is a medium heat, so feel free to adjust the amount of chilli depending on your taste.

I’ve also made this sauce with larger tomatoes, you just need to cook them down for at least 30 mins in that case.

Tomato relish

(makes about 250g)

Ingredients:

• 2 punnets cherry tomatoes (500g)

• 1 large brown onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 fresh long red chilli

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 tsp mustard powder

• 1 tsp. red chilli flakes

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 tsp. salt

• 2 tbsp. tomato paste

• 2 tbsp. white vinegar

• 1 cup water

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Method:

1. Finley dice onion and garlic

2. Finely slice the fresh chilli

3. Heat a small pot on low-medium then add olive oil, onion, garlic and fresh chilli

4. Stir for 1 min before adding the tomatoes and aromatics (bay leaf, mustard, chilli flakes)

5. Cook down for another minute then stir in the sugar, water, tomato paste, vinegar and salt

6. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 mins (the longer you leave it on the heat, the thicker it will become)

7. Serve fresh or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week

I like to eat the relish with bacon and egg, nachos, a burrito etc.

The second sauce is a charred tomato and vegetable salsa. It is tangy, smoky and spicy. I generally eat it with corn chips and guacamole for lunch. It it also wonderful on fried eggs or as a marinade and dipping sauce for pork chops. We made steak tacos and topped them with pickled red onions, cucumber, sour cream and the salsa which makes for an easy weeknight dinner.

If you have access to a BBQ or an open flame, that is ideal, otherwise my method will likely fill your kitchen with a bit of a charred smoky smell. Open a window to prepare!

I like to blend my salsa til almost smooth, but you can leave it chunky if you prefer. If you don’t have a stick blender, make sure your veg has completely cooled down before adding to a blender (so it doesn’t explode or leech plastic into your sauce).

Charred tomato and vegetable salsa

(makes about 350g)

Ingredients:

• 6 medium red tomatoes

• 2 tomatillos (can substitute with green tomatoes)

• 1 small capsicum

• 1 banana pepper

• 1 small red chilli

• 2 brown or red onions

• 1 small head of garlic (or less to taste)

• 1/2 bunch of coriander (reserve a few leaves for platting)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp salt

• 1 lime

Method:

1. Roughly chop up all the vegetables, tomatoes, tomatillos and chillies

2. Heat a large skillet on medium-high, add your olive oil then fry everything in batches until you have a good char

3. Set your cooked ingredients to the side to let cool slightly

4. Remove the stems and seeds from your capsicum and peppers

5. Loosely chop up your coriander leaves and stems, then add them to your veg

6. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into your veg mixture

7. Use a handheld stick blender to combine all the charred ingredients in a large glass bowl (pictured above)

8. Serve fresh with a few coriander leaves on top or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week

Salsa with corn chips, sour cream, pickled onion, cucumber, peppers. The makings of steak tacos with avocado, cucumber and the salsa smothered on top.

Love,
Indigo.