This is one of those sauces that does far more work than the five minutes it takes to put together deserves. Cherry tomatoes, red onion and red pepper, roasted low and slow with balsamic and garlic until they collapse into something sweet, sticky and deeply savoury. Spoon it over baked cod, stir it through pasta, or just pile it onto crusty bread – it earns its place in the fridge for whatever you throw at it next.

Ingredients roasted cherry tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 300g cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion, quartered
• A few slices of red pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, brown sugar, garlic and balsamic vinegar.
2. Place the cherry tomatoes, quartered red onion and red pepper slices in a baking dish.
3. Drizzle over the balsamic mixture and tuck in the bay leaves.
4. Bake at around 160°C for one hour.
5. Serve over baked cod, stirred through pasta, or spread on crusty bread.

Footnote 

This roasted cherry tomato sauce recipe is part of my Sauces, Salsas & Dressings collection – proper flavour, built from scratch, from Casa Adora and the road.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef