Italian chef Roberta d'Elia, Head Chef at Pasta Evangelists, has revealed three key tips for making a more flavourful homemade tomato sauce: ripeness, roasting, and freshness. Her straightforward recipe takes just 15 minutes of preparation and serves six people.
Key Tips for Better Flavour
Chef Roberta emphasises that tomatoes are best for cooking when they are slightly over-ripe. Slow-roasting them intensifies their natural sweetness and depth. She also advises against storing tomatoes in the fridge, stating: "For a richer taste, buy (or grow!) your tomatoes fresh and cook them as soon as you have them."
Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1kg vine-ripened tomatoes, removed from vines and halved
- Four cloves garlic, crushed
- Two tsp demerara sugar
- Two tbsp tomato purée
- Two tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C. Arrange the halved tomatoes cut-side up in a single layer in a large roasting tray. Nestle the crushed garlic cloves amongst the tomatoes, pressing them into the flesh. Dust the sugar over the top, along with salt and pepper. Spread the tomato purée evenly across the tray, then drizzle with olive oil.
Roast for about one hour, or until the tomatoes have softened and begun to caramelise. Check after 40 minutes to prevent burning. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chopped basil, and use a fork to lightly crush the tomatoes into a thick, textured sauce.
The chef recommends serving the sauce over orecchiette for a genuine Puglian feel, finished with a fine grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.
