Place the tomatoes in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and when cool enough to handle, remove the skins.
Cut in half and place in a clean bowl with the garlic, basil and olive oil. Toss together and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large frying pan and turn the tomatoes, cut side uppermost.
Heat until just starting to sizzle then cook over a low heat for 30 minutes. By now the tomatoes should have shrunk a little in size and be charred underneath. Remove from the heat.
Allow to cool slightly then transfer to the Liquidiser and blend until smooth. Serve with pasta, or as an accompaniment to meat dishes.