Silky Three-Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 250 g pasta
• 2-3 roma tomatoes
• 150 g cherry tomatoes
• 400 g peeled and crushed tomatoes
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2-3 basil stems
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cups olive oil
• 30 g butter
• 50 g parmesan
• 1/2 cups reserved pasta water
• salt

Instructions

1. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and basil stems and gently infuse the oil until fragrant, being careful not to brown the garlic.
2. Add the halved Roma tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they begin to soften.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes and crushed tomatoes, then season with salt. Tear in a handful of fresh basil and stir everything together.
4. Let the tomatoes cook down for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’ve broken down and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
5. Transfer the tomato sauce to a blender and blend with ½ cup of good olive oil until completely smooth. You’ll see the colour transform from a deep, dark red into a creamy, vodka-sauce-like colour.
6. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the skins and seeds, leaving you with an incredibly silky tomato sauce.
7. Cook your pasta until just shy of al dente, reserving some pasta water.
8. Add the pasta to the strained sauce with a splash of pasta water and toss over low heat until the sauce completely coats the pasta.
9. Turn off the heat, then add 30 g of butter and 50 g of freshly grated Parmesan. Toss vigorously until emulsified and glossy.
10. Finish with fresh basil, a little more Parmesan, and serve immediately.