Ultimate Tomato Sauce

Makes enough for 3 dishes. Good to freeze.

5kg ripe vine tomatoes, halved
250ml olive oil, plus 8 tb for drizzling
6 shallots, finely sliced
head of garlic, cloves separated and finely sliced
2 red chillies, halved and deseeded
4 tb red wine vinegar
4 tsp caster sugar

Preheat oven to 200. Place tomatoes in 2 or 3 large roasting tins and drizzle with 8 tb olive oil. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast for 30-40mins until really softened.

Meanwhile, gently heat 250ml olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots, garlic and chillies and fry over a very low heat for 10mins until softened. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to infuse for 10mins. Sieve the oil into a jug and discard the solids.

Pour the infused oil into a large saucepan and set over a medium heat. Crush the tomatoes with the back of a fork and add to the oil. Simmer gently for 5 mins, then add the vinegar and sugar and simmer for a further 30mins, stiring occasionally until you have a thick, rich sauce. Check the seasoning and remove from the heat. Divide into 3 portions and freeze.