Step 1:

• 200 ml olive oil
• 2.5 kg ripe tomatoes
• 200 g carrots (peeled)
• 200 g celery stalks
• 225 g white onion (peeled)
• 3 garlic cloves
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step 2:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 100 g white onion (peeled)
• 1 large garlic clove
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a small bunch of fresh basil
• 2 tsp. sugar

Step 1:
In a large pan or pot, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then mash the tomatoes lightly. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 50 minutes. Blend the cooked mixture in batches using a blender until smooth.

Step 2:
In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the blended tomato purée and simmer for 10–40 minutes, depending on the water content of the tomatoes. If the tomatoes are particularly juicy, allow the sauce to reduce until it reaches a thick, sauce-like consistency.

The sauce can be poured into sterilized jars for long-term storage. If sterilizing jars feels too cumbersome, freeze the sauce in containers for convenient use throughout the winter.