Got lots of fresh tomatoes to use up? The riper and squishier the better… Use about 800g, roughly chopped, instead of tinned tomatoes. Feel free to add in any vegetables that need using up – courgettes and peppers work well. If you prefer, omit the vodka, or add white wine, sherry or vermouth.
Boozy tomato pasta
SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 1 HOUR
BATCH COOK
Make double the quantity of sauce, then decant into clean sterilised bottles or jars and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks – or see below for how to freeze.
HOW TO FREEZE
Once cool, transfer the sauce to a freezerproof container(s), label/date, then seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or tip straight from frozen into a pan over a low heat (lid on pan) and give the sauce a stir every now and then until defrosted.
FOOD TEAM’S TIP
If you prefer a smoother sauce, whizz it briefly with a stick blender.
KNOWHOW
You can make pasta from scratch without any fancy gadgets – see The Knowledge this month for our step-by-step guide.
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped or grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Large pinch chilli flakes
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes (see swaps, opposite page)
• 1-2 tsp caster sugar, depending on how sweet your tomatoes are
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 75ml vodka (see opposite page)
• 400g pasta of your choice (see Know-how)
• 6-8 tbsp freshly grated parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
1 Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based casserole (use one with a lid), then add the onion and crushed garlic with a pinch of salt and the chilli flakes. Fry gently for 12-15 minutes.
2 Add the chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar and the basil, season well, then cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vodka, then season to taste with a little more salt, pepper or sugar – whatever you think it needs.
3 Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. Drain well, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water, then add the pasta to the tomato sauce with a splash of the pasta cooking water to loosen, if it needs it. Toss well to combine, then serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan.
PER SERVING 453kcals, 7.5g fat (1g saturated), 14.4g protein, 88.1g carbs (13.1g sugars), 0.3g salt, 7.5g fibre