Roasted Tomato & Basil Sauce over Orecchiette
This rich tomato sauce is full of flavour!
This summer looked nothing like we had originally planned. Despite COVID - we were away from home more than expected. When the pandemic hit we figured we’d be home for the count, so my husband got to work planting the vegetable garden. He loves watching things grow and testing new methods, and I like to cook with a harvest of homegrown vegetables! Since we were away for the better part of two months the garden went a little wild, and our harvest wasn’t as fruitful as it typically is. However, we did get some decent tomatoes! Here’s what I made with them:
Oven Roasted Tomato & Basil Sauce
{ 4 servings | 20 min prep | 40 min bake | 30 min cook | 1 hr 30 min total }
2 lbs Roma Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp fresh Basil, Chiffonade (sub: 1 Tbsp dried Basil)
4 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp Romano cheese, grated (sub: Parmigiana)
1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 450ºF
Gather and prepare ingredients.
Combine olive oil, basil, garlic, and cheese in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, and remove seeds, then toss with mixture in the mixing bowl.
Place tomatoes flesh side down in a single layer on a rimmed baking tray, and sprinkle leftover mixture ton top of tomatoes.
Bake for 30 minutes until tomatoes are slightly dark on the top.
Let cool completely.
Remove tomatoes and place in a high-speed blender with 2/3 cup chicken broth, and blend until a paste starts to form.
Add remaining 2/3 cup chicken broth and blend until smooth consistency.
Add sauce to a medium saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 30 minutes.
Serve warm over pasta or pasta substitute, with additional basil ribbons and grated cheese.
TIPS:
This sauce is very rich tasting, so it definitely needs the fresh basil at the end to counter the richness.