Cut each basil leaf in half, break up the sprigs of thyme
and cut up the bay-leaves. Bring a pan of water to the
boil and have ready a bowl of ice-cold water. Using the
tip of a small sharp knife, remove the core from each
tomato and, on the opposite end, make a small cross. Drop
into the boiling water, no more than three at a time, for
10 seconds, then remove and plunge into the cold water to
stop them cooking further. It is important that they are
not left in the boiling water for too long, or they will
become soft and watery. Once cool, peel the tomatoes (the
skins should come off easily; if they do not, return to
the boiling water for a few seconds more). Cut the peeled
tomatoes in half and, with a teaspoon, scoop out the
seeds(these can be reserved for another use). Dab the
tomatoes with kitchen paper to soak up any excess
moisture. If you have the time, leave them at room
temperature, cut side down, on more kitchen towel for a
couple of hours, to extract even more moisture.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 110c. Generously brush the
tomatoes with olive oil and lay them on a baking sheet or
oven tray, cut side up. In the cavity of each tomato, put
a slice of garlic, and a little basil, bay and thyme.
Season with salt, pepper and sugar, and bake for about
four hours, turning halfway through - the cooking time
will vary depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes. When
ready, the tomatoes will be a vibrant red, slightly
wrinkled, and will have a wonderfully aromatic aroma.
Leave them to cool before placing them in a jar along
with the excess herbs and any oil from the tray. Pour
over olive oil to cover, and store in the fridge until
needed. These tomatoes are delicious in sandwiches,
salads, chopped up in pasta, or just about anything,
really - as is the oil in which they are stored.
Gazpacho (chilled soup)
3-4 slices day old bread
500ml cold water
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 large onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small cucumber
1 c. tomato juice
salt & pepper
Soak the bread with the garlic in a few tablespoons of
water and the wine vinegar. Chop the tomatoes roughly.
Seed the green peppers and chop. Peel the onion and chop.
Set aside a quarter of the chopped vegetables for garnish.
In a food processor or blender, blend the bread, garlic,
vinegar and remaining chopped vegetables. Add the tomato
juice and the remaining water until desired consistency
is reached. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Sprinkle each bowl with a
bit of the reserved fresh vegetables when serving.
Sugo (Italian Pasta Sauce)
300 blade steak, in one piece
1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and very, very finely chopped
1 dried chilli
1.5kg tomatoes, peeled liquidised and de-seeded
1/2(150g) Fonteluna sausage or salsiccia Napoli
Salt and black pepper
Use a sharp knife to make 3 or 4 slits in the meat. Push
a sliver of garlic and some chopped parsley into each
slit. Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan. Add
the meat and brown it well all over. This will take
around 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and add
the chopped onion and the chilli. Stir around in the oil
and cook the mixture very slowly until the onion is
transparent and soft. Add the sieved tomatoes and return
the meat to the saucepan. Take the outer fine skin from
the Fonteluna sausage, and add the sausage to the sugo.
Bring the sugo to a slow simmer on a low heat for 2-2 1/2
hours with the lid on (opened a crack). Use a heat
diffuser under the pot if you have one to prevent the
sugo burning. After a couple of hours, the sugo will have
reduced by a third. Taste it and season it with salt. The
seasoning from the beef and sausage will have already
added flavour.
Serve with any pasta
Tomato Sauce for pasta (meatless)
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
12 plum tomatoes skinned and chopped
basil torn
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp sugar
Serves 4
Fry the onion in olive oil until soft, add the garlic and
cook for a further minute. Lightly season. Stir in the
tomatoes and sugar and simmer on a low flame for at least
2 hours stirring occasionally. Add the torn basil and
season to taste. Simple and effective. Serve with penne,
conchigle, etc - something that will hold the sauce well.