It’s officially summertime and in honour of the sunshine season Pasta Evangelists reveals the one ingredient that truly captures the soul of the Italian summer: il pomodoro.
Plump, sun-ripened, and bursting with sweetness, tomatoes are so much more than the base of a sauce. They’re a symbol of Italian home cooking, passed down through generations. From Nonna’s slow-simmered ragù to the simplest sugo al pomodoro, the tomato is where good food begins.
Roberta d’Elia, Head Chef at Pasta Evangelists, shares the top tips to consider when cooking with tomatoes, and provides perfect recipes that bring the taste of tomatoes to your tastebuds so you can eat like an Italian this summer.
Chef Roberta’s top 3 tomato tips:
- Ripeness: Tomatoes are best fit for cooking when they are slightly over-ripe, as they are a bit softer and can bring an added juiciness to the pan.
- Slow-roast: Slow-roasting your tomatoes before you make the sauce lets all of the wonderful flavour packed into each fruit burst to the fore, taking your dish on a sensory journey.
- Fresher the better: Don’t put your tomatoes in the fridge as it diminishes the flavour. For a richer taste, buy (or grow!) your tomatoes fresh and cook them as soon as you have them.
These are 4 tasty tomato-based pasta recipes Chef Roberta recommends:
- Penne all’Arrabbiata
- Pappardelle With Signature Beef Shin Ragù
- Creamy ‘Nduja Pasta
- Fresh Tomato & Basil Sauce with Orecchiette
To make these delicious dishes you will need to master the art of the il pomodoro sauce. Pulled from the Pasta Evangelists recipe archives, Chef Roberta shares her simple roasted tomato sauce recipe:
Simple roasted tomato sauce
- Serves 6
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1kg vine-ripened tomatoes, removed from vines and halved
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2tsp demerara sugar
- 2tbsp tomato purée
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Arrange your halved tomatoes facing upwards in a single layer in a large roasting tin.
- Push the crushed garlic in amongst the tomatoes, submerging it inside them where possible. Sprinkle over the sugar, salt and pepper.
- Spoon the tomato purée evenly over the roasting tin and finally drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast in the oven for about an hour until the tomatoes are soft and beginning to char in places. Check after 40 minutes to ensure you don’t burn the sauce.
- When cooked, scatter over the chopped basil and gently crush the tomatoes with a fork to form a lovely thick sauce.
- Serve with freshly made pasta, we recommend orecchiette for a true Pugliese experience, and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano. Buon appetito!
