Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce with Olives, White Wine & Thyme

I don't yearn to be a vegetarian. I want to be clear about that. But every so often the meat goes back in the fridge, the instinct takes a different turn, and something else entirely ends up on the table. This was one of those times.

It started at Lidl. The shelf stacker was unloading a pallet of cauliflowers and I took one before it had properly arrived. She smiled. I smiled back. We both knew. A fresh cauliflower is not something you walk past.

I also had a pack of integral wraps that needed using up and a jar of chickpeas in the store cupboard. What I didn't have was a sauce — not the right one. My hot sauces are never far away, but this needed something different. Something that would bind everything together and do some actual work.

The sun-dried tomatoes had been sitting in oil in the cupboard for a while, waiting for the right moment. This was it.

This sun-dried tomato sauce came together in the Casa Adora kitchen the day before — cebolla frita for sweetness and body, garlic, dried chilli, thyme, white wine, and a handful of pitted green olives for a briny depth. Blended smooth, left overnight, improved considerably by morning. That's the thing about this kind of sauce: it doesn't peak on the day.

It works brilliantly as a base for roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, spooned over pasta, alongside grilled meat, or stirred through eggs. Make it the day before if you can.

Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce with Olives, White Wine & Thyme — Ingredients

Makes enough for 4 servings. Keeps for five days in the fridge.

• 100g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
• 200g cebolla frita (or 2 large onions, slowly caramelised)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 dried chilli, crumbled (or ½ tsp dried chilli flakes)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• 100ml dry white wine
• 80g pitted green olives
• Salt to taste

Method

Soften: Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cebolla frita, garlic, chilli and thyme. Cook gently for 5 minutes until fragrant.

Deglaze: Add the white wine and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes until the alcohol cooks off.

Add and simmer: Add the sun-dried tomatoes and green olives. Stir to combine and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Blend: Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Leave to cool, then refrigerate overnight if possible — it improves considerably by morning.

If you have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and you're wondering what to do with the last of them, there's also a quicker, lighter option: a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette that works brilliantly on salads, roast vegetables, or drizzled over grilled meat. And if you want to make your own rather than buy them, there's a guide to the sunshine and oven methods here too.

This sauce keeps for five days in the fridge. It will improve overnight. Make it the day before if you can.

This sun-dried tomato sauce is part of my Sauces, Salsas & Dressings collection, a guide to proper sauces from the Casa Adora kitchen — homemade condiments, fermented hot sauces, dressings, and everything in between.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper sauces, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef