Recipe: Just-cooked tomato sauce

Eggplant and quick tomato sauce. Photo / Michael Craig

This could be used lots of ways. The ingredients should retain shape and texture. I put it across eggplant slices but you could use this as a starter or lunch with a salad. Serve with some bread or grate some parmesan across it. Use it as a side dish with grilled fish or meats.

For 4 people as an entree with bread

• 1 medium-sized eggplant
• 1 medium onion diced finely
• 2 cloves of peeled crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 3 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes diced chunkily
• 2 peppers, red or green or yellow, diced into 1 cm cubes
• ½ cup sprigged "tomato herbs" - basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram - any mix will do
• 1 cup of water
• salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• Olives, 3 spring onions sliced (optional)

Set the oven to 180C

1. Slice the eggplant, lengthwise into 5 or 6 slices.

2. Set the slices in a baking dish and add half a cup of olive oil and quarter of a cup of water.

3. Put into the preheated oven and cook till the eggplant has coloured but does not burn.

4. This will take about 20 minutes, turn the slices once after 10 minutes. Adding the water keeps the eggplant moist. Keep warm.

Tomato Sauce

1. In a heavy-based pan warm 3 tbsp olive oil.

2. Add the onion and garlic.

3. Cook gently for 5 minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Add the diced peppers and cook till soft.

6. Add the diced tomatoes and the rest of the water.

7. Turn up the heat and cook till the sauce is a spoonable consistency.

8. Add the herbs and, if you want, the olives and spring onions.

9. Spoon over the eggplant slices.