A new twist on pasta:  Cooked cherry tomato and burrata

It is important to taste this sauce for acidity when seasoning. Fresh tomatoes are a little acidic, so I add a little sugar or honey to balance the flavours.

SERVES 4-6

3 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, squashed, peeled and halved lengthways

900g cherry tomatoes, halved lengthways

a large handful (about 15g) of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, plus extra leaves to garnish

1 tsp caster sugar

400g-600g dried pasta or 320g-480g fresh pasta

2 balls burrata, torn

salt and freshly ground

black pepper

• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Toss in the garlic and cook, stirring, for a few minutes to flavour the oil.
• When the garlic begins to colour, add the tomatoes, basil, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over a high heat for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes have begun to break down but not totally lost their shape.
• When the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to the instructions. Drain the pasta, but keep a cup of the cooking water. Tip the hot pasta into the hot tomato sauce, add a splash of retained cooking water and toss with gusto over a high heat until the pasta looks creamy and well coated.
• Remove the halved garlic cloves and serve with the burrata, plenty of extra pepper and the basil to garnish.