If you’re growing your own tomatoes in the greenhouse then you need this recipe, it’s so good. It’s a technique I picked up from my time at River Cottage when late summer equalled abundance in the garden. This sauce is made by roasting sweet ripe tomatoes with garlic, thyme and olive oil. The resulting puree is incredibly delicious and can be frozen as it is for later in the year. When I make a batch, I can’t help making this pasta dish, because it’s just so delicious.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 120 minutes
Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients
1kg of ripe mixed tomatoes, halved
6 – 8 sprigs of thyme
6 – 8 cloves of garlic, bashed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100ml of double cream
50g of parmesan cheese plus extra for serving
A handful of fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
350g of rigatoni, penne, or you favourite pasta (I like the Northern Pasta Company)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C yes
Place the tomato halves (you can quarter big ones) cut side up into a roasting tray big enough to hold the tomatoes in a single layer. Scatter over the thyme stems and the bashed garlic, then trickle over the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the dish in the oven and roast the tomatoes for 40 - 50 minutes, or until they have begun to blister around their edges and are well on their way to collapsing. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Set a fairly course sieve over a suitably sized saucepan, spoon the tomatoes and all their roasting juices into the sieve. Using the back of a ladle, rub the tomatoes through the sieve, extracting all that rich, thick sauce. Discard the skin and seeds left behind in the compost.
Place the sauce over a medium high heat and bring up to a simmer. Add the double cream and grated parmesan and continue e to simmer until the sauce has thickened somewhat.
Season the sauce with freshly ground black pepper and a good pinch of sea salt.
Meanwhile cook your pasta according to the packet’s instructions, or to your own liking. Drain the pasta then carefully turn the pasta through the tomato sauce. So, everything’s nice and saucy. Tear over the basil and finish with a trickle of your best olive oil.
Spoon the pasta out onto a serving dish or simply bring the pan to the table for everyone to dig into.