Olive Oil Poached Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipe

Combine olive oil and shallots in a pot over low heat and cook 10 to 12 minutes until shallots become translucent and soft. Stir in garlic while coating entirely with oil, cook for 15 minutes until garlic has softened. 

Add in cherry tomatoes, crushed plum tomatoes, and sugar, and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in fresh basil stems, partially cover the pot and allow the mixture to cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until cherry tomatoes have burst and deflated and the mixture has turned to a rich sauce.

Discard basil or remove some of the leaves from stems and reserve in the sauce.

Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and stir in red pepper flakes to taste if desired.

Toss the sauce with pasta of choice and serve topped with chopped fresh basil for garnish if desired.