Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce

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Homemade pizza doesn’t quite feel complete without a rustic tomato sauce to top it with, so I find this is a great recipe to have on hand when the garden is overflowing with fresh juicy tomatoes. It freezes so well that you could make a double batch, use half, and portion half of it up to freeze for later in preparation of those spontaneous summertime pizza nights, something we seem to have quite a few of! 

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This is a simple sauce to make but it is worth taking the time to skin the tomatoes – this will help to soften the fruit resulting in a shorter cooking time in the pan, but more importantly it will give a smooth and silky texture to the pizza sauce. 

 

I like to use Italian oxheart tomatoes as they are generally larger making skinning them easier and they have a lovely rich flavour, but feel free to use whatever large tomatoes you have on hand.  

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Makes 1 ½ cups 

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Ingredients 

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• 600 grams large tomatoes  

• 1 large clove of garlic 

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

• 2 – 3 sprigs of fresh thyme 

• Splash of balsamic vinegar 

• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste 

 

Method  

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1. Fill a pot with enough water to just cover the tomatoes and bring it to the boil.  While the water is heating use a sharp knife to scour the top and the bottom of each tomato with a cross, ensuring you don’t go too deep - just go through the skin. 

2. Once the water is boiling, place the tomatoes in and immerse for 30 – 45 seconds, moving them around so that they are fully covered with the water. You should notice the skin beginning to peel off where you have scoured it. Turn off the heat and remove the tomatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon, placing them into a colander to cool. 

3. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle gently peel the skin off using a knife. Finely dice the tomatoes and set aside – liquid will come out of the tomatoes as you chop them – make sure you save that to add to the sauce later. 

4. Finally slice the garlic and place into a cold pan with the olive oil. Put the pan onto a medium heat and allow the garlic to begin to cook, don’t allow it to colour at all as it will taste bitter. You are just gently flavouring the oil with the garlic.

5. As soon as the oil begins to sizzle add the chopped tomatoes and all the liquid that has come out of them, along with the thyme. Bring the sauce to the boil and add a generous splash of balsamic vinegar, stirring for a minute or so on a high heat to cook the vinegar off. 

6. Simmer the sauce for 7 - 8 minutes on medium high, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon and breaking up the tomatoes as they cook. Add a little water if you need to prevent sticking - you may not have to depending on how juicy the tomatoes are. 

7. When the sauce is thick and silky, and the tomatoes are lovely and broken down, turn off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. 

8. Let the sauce cool before using it on your pizza.