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I love Autumn Calabrese and I love her Fixate recipe book to accompany the portion containers used in most of Beachbody's programmes
I was sign-posted to the recipe by a friend and was told it was the first recipe I needed to try... It is delicious, easy and good to know that I can incorporate it into my meal planning.
This serves 12 (approximately 1/2 cup or 100g per serving) and takes a good couple of hours to make, which is why I tend to make it on a Sunday afternoon where it can simmer away while I'm prepping.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 x 6oz can (85g) tomato purée (Tesco does small tins of purée and one of these is perfect)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) red wine (I used white this time as an alternative as I didn't have any red left)
- 2 x 28 oz cans (2 x 400g cans) of tinned whole tomatoes crushed or blended in a food processor or nutri-bullet type blender
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) sea or Himalayan Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (1ml) ground black pepper
- 3 oz (75g) Parmesan cheese rind
- 3 tablespoon (45g) fresh basil, finely chopped
STEPS
1. Heat the oil n a large saucepan over a medium-high heat
2. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently for 5-6 minutes until the onion turns translucent
3. Add garlic and tomato purée, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick and burn
4. Add the wine (without drinking any!) and stir constantly
5. Add the tomatoes, agave (or maple), salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Allow it to summer and stir occasionally.
6. Add the Parmesan rind and allow for simmer for at least an hour
7. Add the basil and mix well.
COMMENTS
- Tesco does small tins of tomato purée which are perfect size and good quality. You can find it here
- I used white wine on this occasion as I had no red, just make sure you simmer it well, as this burns off the alcohol and sweetens it
- I have used passata as an alternative to tomatoes which worked just as well
- Autumn recommends using whole tomatoes and then blending them as these tomatoes tend to be better quality
- Seeing as I follow FODMAP (a blog post for another day!) and agave nectar is to be avoided, I use maple syrup as an alternative
- Autumn specifically refers to using Parmesan "rind". I have used both the rind (which I interpret to be the hard bit on the end) as well as blocks of cheese, and they both seem to work effectively. I've found that I am left with a chewy lump which is absolutely delicious
- If you want to cook the sauce for a long time, which I recommend as it allows the flavours to develop, add 1 - 2 cups (240 - 480ml) of water, 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time to achieve the desired consistency
Portion Fix: 3 green and 1/2 teaspoon