Tomato Butter Penne (V) from The Monday Pasta Club

“In the height of summer when tomatoes are at their best this is my go-to pasta sauce. Using the best-quality tomatoes you can find will result in an incredibly sweet and wonderful sauce. This is enriched with butter and finished with plenty of fresh basil.” Ed Barrow, author of The Monday Pasta Club

150g (5½oz) penne

40g (1½oz) salted butter

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

200g (7oz) cherry tomatoes, halved

Handful of fresh basil, leaves separated and stalks finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Put the penne in a large pan of boiling well-salted water. Cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.

Meanwhile, add the butter to another pan and place over a medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the tomatoes and the finely chopped basil stalks. Season generously with salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to break down the tomatoes and release their juices. Turn up the heat to high and let the tomatoes cook down and bubble away for 5 minutes, stirring often to ensure they don’t stick to the pan.

Once the tomatoes have broken down and softened, remove from the heat and either use a stick blender in the pan or transfer the tomatoes to a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Roughly tear most of the basil leaves. Pour the sauce into the pan with the pasta and add the torn basil leaves. Toss together until everything is combined then divide between 2 bowls and top with the remaining basil leaves.