THE STUDENT VEGETARIAN COOK BOOK

Serve with spaghetti, tagliatelle or tagliolini and plenty of grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese (the dish includes no other high-protein ingredient). For 4.

• INGREDIENTS .

lif2 Ib1750 g ripe tomatoes

1 medium onion

3 large cloves garlic

1 rounded teaspoon dried oregano or a handful fresh herbs as above (ideally, enough for 2 tablespoons when chopped, but less willdo if you do not want to pick too much from small plants)

I tablespoon olive oil

1 flat teaspoon soft brown sugar

11/2 tablespoons tomato puree

• METHOD .

Peel and chop the tomatoes, throwing away the hard cores. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. If using fresh herbs, wash and leave in a sieve or colander to drain.

2 Fry the onion in the oil, turning frequently, for 8-10 minutes or until soft and translucent but not brown. Add the garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 7-10 minutes, pressing the flesh against the sides and bottom of the pan until smooth. Stir in the sugar, tomato puree and dried oregano if you are using it, season lightly with salt and more generously with pepper, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 If using fresh herbs, trim the stalks off parsley or coriander and pull the leaves from the stems of other herbs; finely chop parsley, roughly chop coriander or oregano, or tear basil leaves into pieces. (Leave the tiny thyme leaves whole.) Stir into the sauce just before serving.