Every so often a single ingredient stops me in my tracks. I sought out these deep, dusky Midnight Roma tomatoes for their story as much as their color. They come from Row 7 Seed Company, the seed venture co-founded by chef Dan Barber, built on an idea that resonates. We've spent decades breeding produce for shelf life, shipping, and yield. Row 7 set out to breed seeds for flavor and nutrition. The Midnight Roma was developed by Dr. Jim Myers at Oregon State University, a cross between a richly flavored paste tomato and the inky, antioxidant-rich Indigo Rose.

A tomato with on mission

*Every seed sold helps fund public plant-breeding research.*

And then there's that color. The moody, near-purple skin isn't just for show - it's where the anthocyanins live, the same family of antioxidants that make blueberries and purple potatoes good for us. They're anti-inflammatory and protective, and here's the part that matters in the kitchen: they're concentrated in the skin. So unlike a classic sauce where we'd blanch and peel, here we do the opposite. We keep every bit of that skin and blitz it right in. Nothing is stripped away, and the sauce keeps all of its anthocyanin and lycopene goodness.

Because the Midnight Roma is a paste tomato; meaty and low in water - it was born to be roasted. A hot oven concentrates everything into something jammy and deep, caramelized at the edges, with a flavor bigger than the handful of ingredients suggests. Garlic of-course, but a touch of Red Chili too and oregano and basil from the garden. This sauce pairs well with fish, chicken, a good toasted bread or tossed through al-dente pasta of choice. Today we’re enjoying it with Seggiano’s bronze drawn, slow dried pasta made with organically grown wheat from the Val d’Orcia in Tuscany.

Organic Ingredients,yields 4 cups Sauce or serves 6 with Pasta

3 lbs or 24 Row 7 Midnight Roma Tomatoes, halved lengthwise (skins on)
1 Onion, peeled and chopped small
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed in a pestle & mortar
1 Red Chili, de-seeded and stem removed
3 Tbsps. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Butter
A handful of fresh Basil leaves
1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano leaves
1 Tbsp. Celtic or Himalayan Salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to finish
2 Packs Seggiano Bucatini (13.2oz - 375g each)

Method

Heat your oven to 400°F.

On a large roasting tray, toss the halved tomatoes with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Turn the tomatoes cut-side up and slide the tray into the oven. Roast for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, de-seed your red chili and remove the stem. After the first 25 minutes, tuck the chili onto the tray and roast for a final 20 - 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are blistered, jammy, and beginning to caramelize at the edges. That little bit of char is exactly where the depth of flavor lives.

Remove the tray and let it cool.

Sauté onions in a little Olive Oil until they just start to brown. Add Garlic and sauté for one minute.

Tip everything - roast tomatoes and chili and sautéed onion and garlic into a food processor. Add the butter and basil, and blitz until smooth and glossy. The Butter rounds out any sharpness and turns the sauce a deeper, richer red.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

If adding to Pasta, cook your Pasta of choice al dente; reserving a ½ cup of the starchy cooking water before draining. Toss the drained pasta into the hot sauce over high heat with that starchy water, mixing for a minute until it clings. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil.

Notes

Keep the skins. It's tempting to peel, but the anthocyanins that make this tomato special live in the dark skin. Blitzing it all together is the whole point.
On the chili: I like a red chili here - its fruity warmth complements the tomato and keeps the color deep. Adding it for only the last 20 minutes keeps it mellow.
On Pasta, I love Seggiano's organic bronze-cut bucatini for how it makes me feel as for how it eats. It's made from organic durum wheat grown in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany and slow-dried at a low temperature, the traditional Italian way. Durum has a naturally lower glycemic index, the slow drying keeps the pasta honest with no additives, and choosing organic means skipping the glyphosate so often sprayed on conventional wheat before harvest.
Make it a soup by loosening with a little veggie stock and a swirl of cream.
This sauce keeps beautifully in the fridge for a few days and freezes well.

Row 7 Midnight Roma Sauce

Gluten-Free Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls