Patz's Pantry

There's nothing more authentic than homemade fresh tomato and basil pasta sauce in an Italian household. No matter how hard one may try it's virtually impossible to obtain that very special, sweet aroma from a tin of chopped tomatoes or bottled pasta sauce, it doesn't come close! This sauce takes all of 20mins to prepare, so what are you waiting for? Reach for the pan and get cooking! Ingredients: (Serves Two) 3-4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Clove of Garlic, whole 300g Cherry Tomatoes/ Baby Plum Tomatoes (on the vine) 1 tbsp Tomato Puree Handful of Fresh Basil, chopped A generous pinch of salt Chop the tomatoes in half, set aside. Heat a pan on medium heat, peel the garlic clove. Add the olive oil and garlic to the pan, allow the oil take on the flavour of the garlic for 1-2mins. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and pinch of salt mixing well, bring to a simmer. Lower the flame and simmer for 10mins, add the basil 2mins before you are ready to take off ...

After my overcooked lasagne overloaded with béchamel sauce from a café near work for lunch I am in great need of a light dinner! This dish is an extremely versatile one, it makes for a tasty pasta sauce, a light main served with grilled polenta slices, a scrumptious bruschetta topping and a side dish. Super quick, super easy just what I need for a weekday evening meal. Ingredients:  x3 large aubergines 400g vine tomatoes 1/2 jar of Italian marinated mixed mushrooms (optional) 2tbsp tomato puree Generous helping of fresh basil 1 red chilli - deseeded 1 clove of garlic Salt & pepper Extra virgin olive oil Give the aubergines a good wash then cut into chunks and put them in a colander with a generous handful of salt to remove its natural bitterness, set aside for 15mins. Wash the tomatoes and cut them in halves then deseed the red chilli and slice finely. Heat the olive oil and gently fry on a medium to low heat the clove ...