Tomato Base
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large or 2 small onions, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 400g passata or chopped tomatoes
  • 350ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp unami paste (optional)
  • 1 packet of pork meatballs (approx 16 meatballs) (preferably organic)
  • (A dash of maple syrup if at the end you feel that due to the tomatoes acidity it may need softening a touch)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Place your meatballs onto a baking tray and roast in the oven until cooked (usually about 10-15 minutes).
  3. While that's cooking, place a saucepan onto a medium heat and add some oil (coconut would be preferable). Add the onions and allow to sweat until lovely and soft and translucent and sweet.
  4. Next add your crushed garlic and cook out for about 1 minute, making sure you don't burn it. However, equally making sure you cook out the pungent garlic raw flavour.
  5. Next add the tomato and unami pastes and spices and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and give everything a good stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes so that everything is well combined.
  6. Take the pan off the heat and using a hand blender blitz the sauce until smooth.
Notes
The sauce gives enough for at least 2 meals for four people so use half for the meatballs roasted and keep the other half in the freezer for another day.
This is delicious served with pasta (we love the brown rice pasta by Doves flour) or with some fresh fluffy buttered cous cous or bulgur wheat.
Recipe by Cooking Them Healthy at https://www.cookingthemhealthy.com/?p=5663