Oven Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce

This is not a typical tomato sauce; it is richer and more concentrated due to the oven-roasting. Mixing in the extra virgin olive oil turns this into a sort of condiment. Because there are so few ingredients in this, it is important to use the best you can get your hands on, especially the olive oil.

4 Medium, ripe tomatoes

4 Cloves garlic (the larger, the more pronounced their flavour will be), peeled and halved

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Half a lemon

1) Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Cut the tomatoes in half around their bellies and squeeze out the seeds. Place them, cut side up on a baking tray and snuggle a 1/2 clove garlic into each half. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 30-35 minutes, then allow to cool completely.

2) Once cool, puree the tomatoes and garlic with an immersion blender or food processor then, with the motor running, drizzle in about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Taste, season with salt and pepper and squeeze in some lemon juice- start with just 1/2 teaspoon- add more if you like it more tart.

Makes roughly 1 cup