Marinara is an excellent all-purpose tomato sauce, very handy to have in the freezer. You can use it in all sorts of ways, for instance in our Linguine with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms and Tomato-Basil Marinara Sauce or even just with spaghetti, olives, leaves and a shave of parmesan. It freezes very well

4 x 400g tinned tomatoes – best quality that you can get

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

½ tsp cayenne pepper

150ml red wine (optional, but nice. White wine also works)

4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

10g butter/butter substitute

salt and pepper

• Blend the tinned tomatoes and their juice in batches, until semi smooth – you want little bit of texture. Then in a large saucepan or wok, fry the onion and carrot in the olive oil, along with the cayenne, until very soft – about 10 minutes. Add the wine, if using. Add the blended tomatoes, bring to the boil, and simmer gently on a low heat with the lid off until the sauce thickens and is reduced to 1500ml. Remove from heat, season well and stir in the basil and butter