tomato base sauce

  • Olive oil
  • 1 small leek
  • 1 stick celery
  • 1 small courgette
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 1/4 butternut squash
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 tins chopped tomatoes

Chop all the veg roughly
Heat a good splash of olive oil in a big pan, add all the veg, cover and sweat gently for 10 to fifteen minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the tomatoes, season, and simmer for half an hour. Blend with a stick blender until smooth then check seasoning.

This can then be frozen in smaller amounts and used as needed. Add chopped cooked suasage or tinned tuna or cooked bacon, black olives etc etc as the fancy takes you.