Tomato pasta sauce can be made richer and more flavoursome by adding caster sugar, according to a recipe from The Groovy Food Company. The recipe is designed to be child-friendly and ideal for keeping children entertained during the summer holidays.
The unexpected ingredient: caster sugar
Caster sugar balances the richness of the sauce and adds depth. The recipe uses one tablespoon of caster sugar to complement the tomatoes, along with sea salt, olive oil spray, red wine vinegar, garlic, and basil.
Ingredients for fresh tomato pasta
- 450g pack classic vine tomatoes
- 500g pack cherry tomatoes
- One tbsp caster sugar
- Two tsp sea salt flakes
- Four tbsp olive oil spray
- ½ tsp red wine vinegar
- Six cloves garlic, peeled and flattened
- 10 sprigs basil leaves, plus extra to serve
- 400g orecchiette pasta or any shape
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano
Step-by-step method
Preheat the oven to 190°C, gas mark 5. Quarter the large tomatoes and arrange all tomatoes in a roasting tin (35x40cm) in one snug layer, cut edges up. Sprinkle over sugar, salt, olive oil spray and vinegar. Add garlic in gaps and roast for 40 minutes.
Push six basil sprigs plus stems from the remaining four (reserving leaves) into the liquid. Roast for another 30 minutes until tomatoes are sunken and intense. Turn off oven but leave tin inside.
Cook orecchiette in boiling salted water according to pack instructions, saving a mug of pasta water before draining. Meanwhile, put cheese and reserved basil in a blender and pulse to a coarse green crumb.
When pasta is ready, remove cooked basil sprigs from tomatoes, stir orecchiette through, breaking up garlic. Add ¼ of the cheese mixture and 3-4 tbsp pasta water, mix gently. Serve with more cheese mixture and extra basil leaves.
