Pappardelle with the dreamiest confit tomato sauce

A set and forget sauce that packs a punch

So, I’m still in London! This is the longest I’ve been away from Australia in the entire time that I’ve resided there (nearly 7 years), and while I am really, really, loving being surrounded by my family and friends over here, I am not so much a fan of trying to cook in our Airbnb. I also desperately miss our gorgeous dog, Gordon.

Me and Gordy cursing the isolated location of Australia more than ever

I don’t know if it’s just bad luck on my part, but the last three Airbnbs I’ve rented in recent times have had the most inadequately equipped kitchens. What is up with that? I’m trying to make sense of there being a meat tenderiser here but not a single decent kitchen knife, and I can’t.

But a challenge is something I rise to, and so I’ve been a little more creative with cooking here, finding ways to make my life easier without having to cut pretty much anything. Which brings me to today’s recipe - a deliciously unctuous confit tomato sauce that is so easy and perfect for making ahead - just what we need during the festive season of entertaining!

Now I will be totally transparent and let you know that I found my first pasta machine in our family storage unit that we are clearing out, so of course I brought it back to our desolate Airbnb kitchen which facilitated the making of the pappardelle I’ve paired with this sauce. However you can use any pasta you like and I promise it will be divine.

The Technique

If you haven’t made any sort of confit before, let’s start with the basics of what it is. Confit is the French word for preserve, and it’s a technique that involves slowly cooking something in fat at a low temperature to preserve it. You’re likely familiar with confit duck, but you can confit more than just meat - fruit and vegetables are an excellent example of other confit-able things.

With this sauce, we use that classic French technique and cook everything low and slow in some good quality olive oil. What’s really special about cooking things this way is that the oil used becomes infused with everything cooked in it (delicious!), and when finished and everything is broken down, the acidity and water from the tomato work in a way that emulsifies it into truly one of the most delicious tomato sauces you’ll ever eat. It also happens to be the most low maintenance sauce you could possibly make - and it can easily be made well in advance and reheated before adding the pasta, which coincidentally makes this a perfect entertaining dish.

You can really take this recipe one of two ways - pair it with fresh, homemade pasta like the pappardelle I suggest below, and enjoy a slow Sunday while the tomatoes cook away in the background. Or, make the sauce ahead of time and finish with a quick, dried pasta - either way you will not be disappointed.

My non-negotiable with this dish - serve it with a dollop of ricotta! The sauce itself is deeply flavourful, luscious and quite rich given the oil. A dollop of ricotta will take this from 10/10 to 11/10 - cutting through the sauce and adding a fresh and cool note to the palate that you will welcome with every bite.

The Recipe