This beautiful rustic tomato sauce has been passed down in my family for years, my great grandmother passed it to my grandmother who taught my mother. Now my hope is that sharing this recipe will inspire more people to cook things like this themselves. This is a great recipe for using up over-ripe tomatoes from your garden to save them from going to waste.

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Ingredients:

• 3.2kg ripe tomatoes (Beefsteak or Roma tomatoes work best)
• 680g sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 3 cups (750ml) malt vinegar (sub for white vinegar to make this gluten free)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 2 large onions
• 2 Granny Smith apples

Method:

1. Chop the tomatoes and apples into quarters.
2. Add all the ingredients to a large pot or preserving pan and bring to the boil.
3. Turn down the heat until the sauce reaches a slow rolling boil.
4. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until it reaches your desired thickness. Don’t be afraid to continue cooking the sauce if you think it needs more time.
5. While the sauce is cooking sterilize some clean glass bottles in the oven at 160*C for 15 – 20 min.
6. Once the sauce is cooked strain it through a mesh sieve to remove all the skins and seeds.
7. Portion the sauce into your hot, sterilized glass bottles and seal with the lids. As the sauce cools it will create a slight vacuum in the bottle which will create a nice seal and help the sauce last longer.

This sauce will keep for months when stored in a cool dry place and your family will love getting these as gifts, just like I did when I was young.