Tomato pasta sauce
- 150ml olive oil
- 4 med Spanish onions, finely shredded
- 2 garlic cloves, finely shredded
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 400g tin whole tomatoes
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 bunch basil, leaves picked and roughly chopped
It was my mum who first told me I wasn't cooking onions for long enough. I was aged about 11. This truism was compounded during my training, predominantly at Rockpool. As an apprentice on the larder, I would often ask the qualified chefs for their secrets to making delicious and incredible sauces. It would invariably come back to the humble onion working its magic. Even this most simple of recipes reflects just that.
Method
Warm the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, turn heat to low and continue to cook until very soft, about another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar and half the basil. Simmer until thickened and tomatoes have cooked out. Stir through remaining basil just before serving.
Serves 4.
