Turkish Tomato sauce

A fresh, flavorful sauce that can be served on meatballs (be they Turkish or not), spiced meatloaf, or even with oven-roasted eggplant or fennel.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ripe tomatoes or 2 cups cooked tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 large onion, chopped fine
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, minced fine
- 2 tsp dried mint or 3 tsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp Aleppo pepper
Method
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1
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Blanch tomatoes for 1 minute until the skins begin to come off. Cool in a bowl of cold water. Peel tomatoes and remove tough stems. Crush tomatoes and set aside.
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2
Heat oil in a large pot on medium-low. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until oil begins to turn red. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and mint. Cook gently for another 5 minutes.
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3
Add tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn’t stick.
A variation of the Escoffier's Tomato sauce from The Spice Trekkers Cook at Home