Tomato Passata Recipe with Ricotta and Pesto

With the classic pairing of tomato and basil, this starter from Andrea Migliaccio is super easy to make and makes a big impact with its fresh Italian flavours.

Ingredients

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Tomato sauce

400g of tomatoes, San Marzano variety, cut into cubes
120g of white onion
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch of basil
1 chilli, seeds removed
400g of passata
extra virgin olive oil
salt to season
pepper to season

Pesto

150g of basil leaves
30g of pine nuts
1/4 garlic clove
30g of pecorino, grated
50g of Parmesan, grated
30g of ice
80g of extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Garnish

500g of buffalo ricotta, whisked until smooth
1 handful of basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

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For the San Marzano tomato sauce, sauté the onion, garlic and the bunch of basil in extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan

120g of white onion
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch of basil
extra virgin olive oil

Add the chilli and fresh tomatoes, season with salt and a little pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the passata and cook for a further 20 minutes. Pass the mix through a fine sieve

400g of tomatoes, San Marzano variety, cut into cubes
1 chilli, seeds removed
400g of passata
salt to season
pepper to season

For the pesto, blanch the basil in salted boiling water. Cool immediately in iced water and dry. Blitz the basil leaves with the ice in a blender then add the pine nuts, garlic, salt and oil and blend again

150g of basil leaves
30g of pine nuts
1/4 garlic clove
80g of extra virgin olive oil
30g of ice

Place the mixture in a small bowl and mix with the pecorino and Parmesan and stir well

30g of pecorino, grated
50g of Parmesan, grated

To serve, pour some tomato sauce into a soup plate. Make three small quenelles with the ricotta cheese and place on top, and place even smaller quinelles of the pesto between. Add a few basil leaves and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then serve

500g of buffalo ricotta, whisked smooth
1 handful of basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

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Andrea Migliaccio

Capri’s only two Michelin-starred chef takes the flavours of the island’s traditional dishes and presents them in an elegant, evolved and stylish fashion.