I realized I have posted incredibly few pasta recipes, compared to how often I cook it. Often people ask me what common beliefs about Italians are true. One is that we move our hands a lot when we talk. Another one is that we eat a lot of pasta: we are ‘mangiaspaghetti’, and proudly so. Pasta is good, cheap and also healthy, depending on the sauce choice of course. I love pasta and cook it quite often, though maybe not every day.
Yesterday I invited friends over for dinner, and did not have much time to cook. I made a couple of Ottolenghi salads (I must admit I cook almost every day a recipe of his), these awesome pear and hazelnut cakes, which I vividly recommend if you are suffering from any form of Autumn blues (I substituted brown rice flour with normal pastry flour and ditched the Xantham gum); and as a main, I made the easiest and tastiest pasta ever: pasta with oven roasted tomatoes. You basically can forget about it while you cook everything else. The result will be stunning if you use a good extra-virgin olive oil; if you are also blessed with good tomatoes, it will be memorable, but results are ok also with average ones.
The recipe is 100% traditional from Southern Italy. Quick recipe, quick pasta: I can’t help participating to the presto pasta nights with this one, this time hosted by the most inspiring vegetarian blog Chez Cayenne.
Pasta al pomodoro
Ingredients (serves 5):
500 gr spaghetti, linguine or other good quality long pasta
1 Kg tomatoes, originally sauce tomatoes like san marzano, here I use a kind of tomatoes on the wine called ‘Roma Tomaten’
2-3 garlic cloves
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
pinch of oregano
a handful of basil leaves
salt
optional: chilli flakes
Method:
About one hour before you want to eat, turn on the oven at about 150 degrees. Wash and cut the tomatoes in half, arrange them cut side up on a high sided backing tray; pour olive oil over, sprinkle with salt, chopped or sliced garlic and oregano. The tomatoes will roast slowly and burn a bit. They will also make a lot of juices.
After about half an hour, raise the oven temperature to 200 to further caramelize the tomatoes. Heat a large pot of salted water. Cook pasta in it until very al dente. Take the tomatoes off the oven, add half a ladleful of the pasta’s water to them, and mix to scrap off any caramelized bits. Drain the pasta and toss it with the tomatoes: it will soak up the juices and oil mix. Mix in a large handful of basil and serve, with optional chilli flakes to mix in.
La caffettiera rosa 