Mexican smoky tomato sauce

Mexican food is quite difficult if you’re on a low-FODMAP diet. Onions, garlic, and beans are staple ingredients in this cuisine. However, they're also on my avoid-at-all-times-list. So I have no other choice than to prepare Mexican food from scratch. A challenge I don’t shy away from.

Real Mexican food is a bit more complex than throwing some spices at your meat of choice. Instead, it is layers on layers of flavours. In order to establish that, this recipe relies on two other basic Mexican recipes: chipotles en adobo and chipotle purée, both recipes are linked below. Don't let this sequence of recipes stop you from cooking this delicious smoky tomato sauce. It really sounds like more work than it actually is. And it is worth the effort.

The best thing about this tomato sauce is that it's quite versatile. Use it in tacos or burritos, over spaghetti, serve it with meatballs and rice, or serve as a dipping sauce at a barbeque. Usually, I make a double or triple batch of this rich, flavourful sauce and freeze it in 200ml portions. That way, I can use just the amount I need. The recipes that make use of this sauce are linked below the recipe.

Recipe

- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan. When the oil is warm, add 5 smashed garlic cloves. Fry them for several minutes and then remove the garlic from the oil. Make sure there is not one tiny morsel of the garlic left behind.

- Add 1/4tsp cumin, salt, and black pepper to taste, 150ml wine, the herbs, 700g passata, and a pinch of sugar. Add chipotle purée to taste, 2tsp is a good starting point, add some more if you'd like it to be a bit spicier. Heat for 5 minutes.

- Pour 300ml water in and let the sauce simmer for at least an hour. The more time you'll give it, the better the flavours will develop. Season with a little more salt and black pepper.

Ingredients

700g tomato passata
olive oil
5 garlic cloves
1/4tsp ground cumin
sea salt
black pepper
150ml medium-heavy red wine
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme
5 sprigs oregano
demerara cane sugar
2tsp chipotle purée
300ml water

Related recipes

Recipes you need in order to make this one, or that make use of this recipe as one of their components.

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