Theodore Kyriakous Tomato Sauce Food

THE BEST TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil and garlic cloves in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes (do not let the garlic burn). Once the cloves are nicely browned remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the onion to the garlic-infused oil and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Crush the can of San Marzano tomatoes into the pot with your hands, then fill the can with water and pour it into the sauce. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, granulated garlic, onion powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Finely chop the reserved browned garlic cloves and add to the sauce.
• Stir in the Parmesan rind, if using, and the basil sprig. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has deepened in color and reduced slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes (if the sauce begins to scorch, lower the heat). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the Parmesan rind and basil before serving.

CREVETTES WITH FETA AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
• Pour the tomato sauce into a large flat oven dish and pour the tomato sauce into it, scatter the feta on top and put it into the oven for 5 minutes until the feta begins to melt.
• Heat 25 ml (just short of 1 tablespoon) of olive oil in a frying pan, add the spring onions, garlic and thyme; and gently sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft, then stir them into the tomato sauce in the oven dish. Return the dish to the oven to keep warm.
• Put the pan back on the heat, add the remaining olive oil and sear the crevettes (or prawns) for 2 or 3 minutes. Then flame the pan with the Ouzo.
• When the flames have died down, add the crevettes and the pan juices to the oven dish full of tomato sauce. Season with black pepper and mix everything together and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes to allow the flavours to amalgamate.
• Remove the dish from the oven, and pour the extra virgin olive oil over the top.
• Allow the dish to cool a little before serving so that it can be eaten by hand with crisp bread.

THEODORE KYRIAKOU'S TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Skin the tomatoes by scoring them and dropping them into boiling water and counting to 10 before removing them. Drain, rub the skin off, de-seed and roughly chop.
• Add the tomatoes to a large pot with garlic, bay leaves and cinnamon.
• Add enough water to barely cover them and bring them to the boil; skim, then turn the heat down and cook for 20 minutes, skimming occasionally.
• Add the shallots and continue to cook, uncovered, until they are soft, about 35-45 minutes. By then the tomatoes should have lost most of their liquid and the sauce should be beginning to thicken.
• Season to taste and stir in 200 ml (just over 3/4 cup) of olive oil, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and while it is still hot, put it into a sterilised preserving jar. Float the remaining olive oil across the surface of the sauce to act as a seal.
• Allow to cool and store in the fridge where it will keep for 3-4 months.