DIY roasted tomatoes warm up fall with three easy pastas
I’m not sure when I stopped buying jars of spaghetti sauce at the market, but I know it was after my kids left the nest quite a few years ago.
Jars of sauce (Prego with fresh mushrooms was my go-to brand) just seemed easier when I had a family to feed. Just open, heat and stir.
But one day I was reading a cookbook by Nigella Lawson, and saw her recipe for what she calls moonblush tomatoes, and my life was changed forever. I made her version once, and then adapted it into a roasted tomato recipe that I use on pastas and pizza, and as a topping for fish, as well.
When covered in extra-virgin olive oil, these roasted tomatoes keep in the fridge for about a week. Once you make them, you’ll never use a jar of spaghetti sauce again.
You don’t mash them or pulse them in a blender into a smooth sauce. You roast them and then use them just as they are with all of the flavorful oil and nice dark pieces from the bottom of the pan. All nice and plump and juicy.
The fusilli recipe uses anchovies that melt like butter when heated with the tomatoes. And when I’ve got them on hand, I throw in a tin of sardines in oil (remove the backbones first), along with the anchovies, and make the best little fish sauce you’ve ever tasted. If you like anchovies, you really should try adding the sardines.
The putanesca recipe uses briny Kalamata olives and capers with feta cheese to make a healthy, delicious Mediterranean pasta dish that your family will love.
And the gnocchi recipe is the simplest of all. Store-bought pasta mixed with the tomatoes and some cheese. That’s it!
All three recipes are great with whatever pasta you prefer, so be adventurous.
The tomatoes can be made using any of your favorite dried spices. I’ve used pre-mixed Italian spices, thyme, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, or any combination of the above.
Interestingly enough, I’ve never added garlic to mine, but you can if you’d like.
A few words about ingredients: Good-quality ingredients yield delicious food. Try using mini San Marzano tomatoes from Central Market. They make an amazing difference in the flavor of the dish. Just richer and sweeter.
Plain old cherry tomatoes work great, too, and I use them all the time, but good tomatoes make a difference.
And good cheeses are a must. Use that shaker cheese if you must (my son Michael won’t use anything else), but you should buy a brick of good cheese (Locatelli or Grana Padano) and grate it yourself, either with a hand grater or the food processor.
It makes a huge difference in the flavor of your dish.
Mangia!
Roasted cherry tomatoes
Makes about 2 cups
- 2 10.5-ounce containers cherry tomatoes (Or mini San Marzano tomatoes. They cost a bit more, but it’s worth every penny.)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (crush in your palm before adding)
1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. These tomatoes cook long and slow. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on a cookie sheet. Add oil, salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Toss well to coat.
2. Bake for 3 hours. Don’t stir. Don’t open the oven. (It really does take 3 hours to sweeten those juicy red beauties.) After 3 hours, remove from the oven and use in one of the accompanying pasta recipes.
3. If not using immediately, place tomatoes into a bowl with all the oil, brown bits and spices from the pan. Cover tomatoes completely with extra-virgin olive oil. Cover bowl and store in refrigerator for up to a week. They only get better with time.
Nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 24 calories, 2 grams fat, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace protein, no cholesterol, 54 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 77 percent of calories from fat.
Fusilli with roasted tomatoes and anchovies
Serves 4
- 1 16-ounce package fusilli pasta (or pasta of choice)
- 2 cups roasted cherry tomatoes (see recipe)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 2-ounce tin anchovies, in oil
- 1/2 cup grated Locatelli cheese (You can find it at Central Market, or use any good-quality pecorino Romano)
- Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain, being careful not to overcook.
2. While the pasta is cooking, start on the tomato mixture. In a large skillet, add tomatoes with their oil, anchovies and all the oil in the can, and the extra-virgin olive oil, and simmer until the anchovies melt and the tomatoes are heated through. It will appear oily, but you’ll be adding all the pasta to the mixture later, so it should be oily.
3. Add the grated Locatelli, and more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes to taste. (The sauce should be salty so that when you add the pasta to it, it’s properly seasoned.) Add drained pasta to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors meld and serve with more grated Locatelli on top. Top with a sprig of fresh basil for garnish.
Notes: Add some or all of the cooked pasta depending on how much tomato mixture you have. If you like your pasta very wet, use less pasta so there’s more sauce.
Also, for the real fish lover, add one tin of sardines in oil (spines removed) when you add the anchovies. It’s absolutely delicious and so briny and yummy.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 780 calories, 37 grams fat, 93 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 27 milligrams cholesterol, 1,129 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber, 40 percent of calories from fat.
Angel hair puttanesca
Serves 2
- 1 12-ounce package angel hair pasta
- 30 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
- 2 cups roasted cherry tomatoes (from above recipe)
- 3 teaspoons capers, drained
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste (Season carefully — olives and capers are salty.)
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, add tomato mixture, olives, capers and extra-virgin olive oil. Stir. Add the drained pasta and simmer another 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Stir in feta cheese just before serving. Top with more feta, if desired.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 1,598 calories, 100 grams fat, 149 grams carbohydrates, 30 grams protein, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 1,926 milligrams sodium, 11 grams dietary fiber, 56 percent of calories from fat.
Gnocchi with roasted tomatoes
Serves 2
- 1 16-ounce package gnocchi
- 2 cups roasted tomatoes (see recipe)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup slivered Grana Padano cheese, plus more to top each bowl
1. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions. It takes only 2-3 minutes to cook, so be sure to attend to it. Gnocchi is done when it floats to the top of the water. Drain the gnocchi.
2. In a large skillet, add roasted tomatoes (from accompanying recipe) and the extra-virgin olive oil and simmer for about 10 minutes, being careful not to mash the gnochhi when you stir. Just prior to serving, add the slivered Grana Padano cheese. Top with more cheese at the table, if desired.
Note: To sliver the cheese, use a vegetable peeler and slice thin strips of it as if you are peeling a cucumber.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 1,196 calories, 98 grams fat, 62 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams protein, 234 milligrams cholesterol, 2,278 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber, 72 percent of calories from fat.
This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 2:47 PM with the headline "DIY roasted tomatoes warm up fall with three easy pastas."