Smashed Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 cups

1.2 kg ripe roma tomatoes, chopped

3 shallots, finely diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon butter

freshly chopped garden herbs

METHOD

Saute onion / shallots in the olive oil over a medium heat for 1 – 2 minutes until soft.

Add tomato and mix through.

Cover with a lid and reduce the heat slightly.

Simmer for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and have started to collapse.

Remove the lid and smash tomatoes with the back of a fork and season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. At this stage the lighter style of tomato sauce is ready for folding through pasta, beans, vegetables, meatballs and spooning over lasagne once it’s heated through from the oven.

Emulsify with a little butter just before serving and enjoy.

NOTES & INSPIRATION

The secret is to keep the flavours simple and to use plump ripe Roma tomatoes in making it. Roma tomatoes are deliciously sweet and they’re not too watery making it perfect for tomato style sauces. Their skin is also delicate, so there is no need for sieving or straining through. Don’t be tempted to add garlic when making the base sauce so that you allow the natural flavours of summer tomatoes to shine. If I’m serving the sauce immediately,  I also love to emulsify with a spoonful of cultured butter, which smoothes the sauce making it silky and delicious in your mouth.

For a thicker sauce, you will need to reduce the sauce for another 5 minutes.

For a smooth sauce, just blend and strain through a coarse strainer.

If you want more of a tomato puree then all you need to do is blend until smooth and enjoy. My smashed tomato sauce also makes the most delicious tomato soup – just thin it down a little with a splash of water if needed, ladle into bowls and serve with grated parmesan and freshly chopped garden herbs.