Simmered Cherry Tomato Sauce with Shallot and Garlic

Ingredients

• 10 1/2 oz (300 g) cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 oz (15 g) shallot
• 3 (9 g) garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp (15 g) tomato paste
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp (1 g) dried oregano
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) red wine vinegar

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Method

1. Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the shallot fine and slice the garlic cloves.
2. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat, cook the shallot and garlic 2 minutes, until soft, then fry the tomato paste in until it darkens to brick.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes and the dried oregano and boil hard 8 minutes, until the pan runs dry and the sauce turns deep and glossy. It looks dry near the end; that is sauce, not burning.
4. Off the heat stir the red wine vinegar in and read the body off the spoon: it should fall in one slow ribbon, a minute more over the flame fixes it if it runs. Four days cold. Serve with meatballs, roast aubergine or baked white fish.