One of my favourite things to do with tomatoes that are a bit overripe is to turn them into a roasted tomato sauce. It’s the original tray bake as far as I’m concerned. You simply throw some tomatos, onion, garlic and red capiscum on a baking tray and whack it in the oven. The roasting caramelized all the natural sugars and you end up with a smoky sweet sauce.

This roasted tomato sauce is incredibly versatile. Use it in any recipe that calls for some passata. It also makes a great base for tortilla soup, just add equal parts of homemade chicken stock and garnish with strips of fried tortillas.

Better yet, it freezes really well, so make up batches when tomatoes are at their best. Enjoy my friends.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

• Servings: 4
• Time: 10 min prep; 1 hour roasting; 15 min pureeing
• Difficulty: moderate
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Roasted tomato sauce adds a depth of character to any dish.

Credit: headachefreefoodie.com

Required skills: chopping without losing a finger

When tomatoes are in season be sure and make extra for the freezer.

You'll Need

• 1 kg (2 lbs) over ripe or cooker tomatoes
• 2 red capisicum
• 2 brown onions cut in half
• ½ a head of garlic
• Salt to taste
• Baking tray
• Blender, food processor or stick blender

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (350F).

1. Arrange vegetables on the baking tray, be sure and place onions cut side down, and place in the oven.
2. After 20 minutes flip the tomatoes and capsicum. Remove the garlic if it is soft, if not keep and eye on it and remove when soft to the touch.
3. After 60 minutes the skins should be quite black in some spots. Remove from oven and allow to cool to the point they can be easily handled.
4. Hold the tomatoes, capiscum an onions over your blending container and remove the flesh into the container from the skins. Discard the skins. Squeeze the garlic into the mix.
5. Purée. Season with salt to taste.
6. Can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for 3 months.

So my friends, what is your favourite thing to do with overripe tomatoes?

Informed by science, cooked by you.