When we dip into the world of tomato sauces, it's a playground of creativity where all different herbs, spices and curly additions come to the forefront 🌈
A sturdy tomato sugo or sauce is the basis for any good meal and serves well as an "extra sauce and gravy." It's a great opportunity to play around with flavours and adjust the sauce to other elements and components of your chosen dish.
Something as simple as changing out a herb or adding a herb can give undertones that make or break the experience.
With this recipe for basil anchovy tomato sauce, I chose to use basil as my herb of choice. It's a very distinctive flavour and the tomato-basil combination is an all time classic. However, I chose to elevate the recipe with anchovies to add a depth and saltiness that is absent in a more simple sauce.
A lot of people turn up their noses at the curious anchovy however most don't realise that when its cooked it tends to disintegrate and support the dish with its saltiness, not its spindles and fishiness. The same goes for this recipe. There's no need to remove the anchovies with the herbs because they've melted right through the sauce and left behind a rich undertone is the sea 🌊🌀
I also like to add a bit of dairy to my tomato sauces at the end of the recipe, be it a knob of butter or tipple of cream. This gives the sauce a richness and smoothness without needing to be a heavy dairy component of your meal.
Basil Anchovy Tomato Sauce
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup of fresh basil
3-4 leaves of sage
1 jar of passata
⅓ jar of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Knob of butter
METHOD
Heat the oil in a saucepan.
Add the garlic and sautee for approximately 1 minute.
Tie the herbs together with cooking string and add to the oil for approximately 1 minute.
Pour the passata into the saucepan with the oil and herbs.
Rinse the jar with water and add to the saucepan.
Add the anchovies.
Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 45 minutes
Salt and pepper to taste
Remove the herbs.
Add to your favourite pasta, fish or meat dish! ✨
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