Prepare the tomatoes

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat
• Add the San Marzano Tomatoes to the pan and blanch for 45-60 seconds
• Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon, place on a plate and leave to cool for a couple of minutes - turn the heat down to a simmer
• Slit the skins of the tomatoes with a sharp knife and peel
• Cut 3 of the tomatoes into 2cm chunks
• Use the coarse side of the grater to grate the remaining 3 onto a plate
• Roughly dice any leftovers that wouldn’t grate (and discard the stem end)

Prepare the base ingredients

• Peel the shallots and cut into really fine dice - the finer the better
• Peel and grate the garlic with a fine grater to make a puree
• Pick the basil leaves and finely dice the stems - the finer the better

Prepare the sauce

• Warm the olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat
• Add the shallots to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes until aromatic (the shallot needs to be lightly coloured, not brown)
• Add the garlic and basil stems, stir to combine and simmer for 1 minute
• Add the tomatoes to the pan, stir to combine and simmer for 2-3 minutes
• Add the tomato puree and oregano to the pan, stir to combine, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes

Prepare the pasta

• Get the water in the large pasta pot to a rolling boil
• When the sauce has been simmering for 10 minutes, add the pasta to the pan and cook for 2 minutes less than packet instructions (approx 9 minutes)

Finish the dish and serve

• Turn up the heat of the sauce, add half a ladle of pasta water, stir to combine and simmer
• Taste the sauce and season to perfection with salt, pepper and a little sugar
• Drain the pasta into a colander, quickly transfer the pasta into the sauce and fold to combine and coat
• Transfer the pasta to pasta bowls, spoon over any remaining tomato sauce, season with black pepper, nutritional yeast or plant based parmesan a little drizzle of olive oil, dress with the reserved basil leaves and serve immediately