So let me tell you how I fell in love with making my own pasta, and Italian cooking in general. It was quite simply when I learned why a basic tomato sauce with fresh pasta and some hard cheese grated on top is such a staple of Italian cooking - because when it is done properly it is a religious experience.

After I had learnt to make my own fresh pasta I decided to try a simple tomato sauce made from scratch. Essentially you take very good ripe tomatoes and cook them down with onion and a bit of olive oil to create a smooth intense explosion of taste. This means getting rid of the pips and skin.

You can of course do this by immersing the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, scoring the skin and peeling it off by hand then scooping out seeds with a spoon. Messy but satisfying and I’ve done it this way many a time. This way becomes a chore when you need to do a lot, but I promise you it is worth it. So when I heard about a machine to do this for you I had two thoughts: 1) I must have one, and 2) what sorcery (or saucery) is involved!

I now have one of these, and it is worth having for the sheer satisfaction of how well it does its job.

In this recipe, I’m using tinned tomatoes. This is after a conversation with the lady who runs the local Italian deli in Chester. She told me that Italian plum tomatoes are irreplaceable compared to any fresh ones you can get in the UK (but still do this for an excess crop if you grow your own) and that the slightly cheaper brand is almost as good.
# TIP: They are more expensive than standard tinned toms, but if they are often on offer, buy them to stock up!

Step 1 - set up the machine

• Assemble the passata machine – it is secured with a strong suction cup

• Place the big bowl it comes with ready to catch the passata and one of your own for the waste

Step 2 - Process the tomatoes

• Empty the tins of tomatoes into the hopper – I tend to give a quick rinse with a tablespoon of water for each tin

• Turn the handle and watch the magic as pulp goes in one bowl and seeds/skin empty into the other!

• Keep that pulp – put it in a sieve on the hopper and salt it to extract more juice. Leave it for a few minutes to drain

Step 3 - Process the tomatoes

• In a saucepan heat the olive oil

• Sweat down the onion until soft then add the garlic

• Add the tomato pulp, vinegar and sugar then simmer for up to an hour until sauce becomes a thick but silky consistency

• Use straight on fresh pasta or in all your usual recipes for far superior results!

Perfect Passata

Makes roughly 1 litre of passata.

• 4 tins of good quality Italian plum tomatoes (whole)

• 1 red onion

• Glug of olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar