"This is a basic tomato sauce that preserves the freshness and vibrancy of in-season tomatoes," says Capitano's Casey Wall. "Don't overcook it – overcooked sauces become dull and jammy and lose any sense of ripeness and freshness."
Capitano's basic tomato sauce
Bottle up the goodness of tomatoes when they're at their peak.
- 10 mins preparation
- 50 mins cooking (plus infusing)
Print
Ingredients
- 2 kg very ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and bases scored
- 2 tsp caster sugar
INFUSED OIL
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 basil stems, coarsely chopped
- 5 parsley stalks, coarsely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, bruised
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Method
- 1For infused oil, combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until just starting to sizzle (2 minutes). Remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes, then strain.
- 2Meanwhile, blanch tomatoes in a saucepan of boiling water until skins to start to curl and look like they are going to slide off (5-20 seconds; do not overcook). Transfer to an ice bath immediately.
- 3Peel and discard skin from tomatoes and coarsely chop flesh, removing as many seeds as possible. Add tomatoes to a wide saucepan, sprinkle with sugar and 2 tsp sea salt flakes and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by a quarter (40-45 minutes). Remove from heat, gradually whisk in infused oil, and season to taste. Tomato sauce will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days, or frozen for 3 months.