Preparation

Candied garlic:

1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the olive oil with the thyme sprigs, add the garlic and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, taking care not to brown the garlic cloves.
2. Let cool and then place in the fridge.
3. Candied garlic can be kept for over a month in the fridge.

Tomato sauce:

1. Score an X on the bottom of each tomato.
2. Plunge them into a large pot of boiling water. Remove them after 30 seconds, cool them quickly in ice water, and then peel off the skins.
3. Cut the tomatoes into quarters to remove the seeds, then dice them. Set aside.
4. In a large pot, gently sweat the onions and thyme together for 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and let them simmer for another 45 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool. Add the candied garlic and the chopped basil.

Canning the tomato sauce:

1. Place Mason jars in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove from the water.
2. Place the lids in very hot (but not boiling) water in another pot, to soften the rubber edges.
3. Pour the tomato sauce into the jars, leave ½ cm of headspace and wipe the rims of the jars with a clean cloth.
4. Screw on the lids, taking care not to tighten the screw bands too much.
5. Place the filled jars in a pot of boiling water and let simmer for about 35 minutes.
6. Remove the jars and let them sit for 24 hours. The lids should be concave, indicating that there is a vacuum and the jar is sealed.

A MPM recipe, developed with la Tablée des Chefs.