Tomato fondue

Ingredients

24 tomatoes
3 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic,crushed
225ml/8fl oz olive oil
large bouquet garni consisting thyme, celery, leek, parsley and bay leaf
1 star anise, broken into pieces
4 cloves
2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
10 saffron threads
few drops Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco
55ml/2fl oz sherry vinegar
a little finely grated lemon zest

Method

1. Peel and de-seed the tomatoes and leave to drain in a sieve over a bowl. Once drained, finely chop the tomatoes and set aside in a bowl. Reserve the tomato juice.
2. In a heavy-bottomed casserole, sweat the onions, garlic and spices (exept saffron) in the olive oil on a low heat. Cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, drained tomato juice, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Add the sherry vinegar, Tabasco and lemon zest. Cover the pan and leave on a low heat for 2-3 hours. Check every now again to make sure the liquid is gently simmering and does not catch.
5. 30 minutes before the end, pour a little boiling water over the saffron, leave to stand for 10 minutes and add to the tomatoes.
6. When the fondue is ready, it ll have a deep red colour and be jam-like. If you have any excess oil, use in other dishes, pasta for example.