Olive Oil Poached Cherry Tomato Sauce
Cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, garlic and shallots cook low and slow in olive oil for a silky, deeply savory pasta sauce.
Prep 20 min · Cook 1 hr 45 min · Total 2 hr 5 min · Makes about 6 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 oz shallots, shaved or thinly sliced, 1 cup
- 2 heads of garlic, shaved or thinly sliced, 3/4 cup
- 24 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups canned, drained plum tomatoes, crushed, I just crushed them with my hands
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- 8 stems fresh basil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
Directions
- Combine the olive oil and shallots in a pot set over low heat. Cook for 10 – 12 minutes, until the shallots are soft and see-through.
- Add the garlic and stir so it is fully coated in the oil. Continue cooking for 15 minutes, until the garlic has softened.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes, crushed plum tomatoes and sugar. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Add the fresh basil stems, set the lid slightly askew over the pot and cook for 1 hour, stirring now and then, until the cherry tomatoes have collapsed and the mixture has become a thick, rich sauce.
- Remove and discard the basil stems, or strip off some of the leaves and leave them in the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add crushed red pepper flakes to taste if you want a little heat. Toss with the pasta you like, then serve with chopped fresh basil on top if desired.