This is my go-to pasta recipe when I’m tired. Why? It’s freakin’ easy and it can rival any restaurant style pasta dish – any day of any week. Believe that. Oh and this is a great first-date recipe. Please, trust me on this.
Some Notes for Your Pasta With Roasted Tomatoes
- Find some fresh pasta from a pasta maker or make it yourself. It makes the meal. If strapped for cash or time, go with De Cecco or Barilla.
- Truffle salt will add another umami flavor. Try your best to get it. Your date is worth it!
- I always use Romano. Parma just doesn’t cut it for me on pasta.
- Dry your own chilis. It’s so easy and cheap.
Let’s get to it!
Ingredients Check List
- 2 handfuls of grape, cherry or another variety of small tomato (or 1 pint which is generally how it is sold)
- Angel hair pasta
- 3 anchovy fillets (this will add the salt so you don’t have to)
- Extra virgin (how I love it) olive oil for drizzling
- 1 smashed garlic clove and 1 minced clove
- 8 shavings of Pecorino Romano cheese (more salt)
- A pinch of truffle salt
- 2 tablespoons of sweet basil Chiffonade
- Chili flakes
- 1 lemon wedge
First Thing Is First, Yo
- Get a quart or so on a slow boil and your oven at 400 degrees.
- Toss your tomatoes with couple dashes of extra virgin olive oil (EVO) and a pinch of truffle salt. This combination will really crystallize the tomatoes. Oh, so sweet.
- Put them in the oven for 12 min. Open the oven when done and let cool.
- Get a couple plates in the microwave (yes, once in a while I use this) for 1 minute.
Now We Can Cook
(I’m there in in spirit)
In an ideal situation you are making this in front of someone. When you start to leverage your culinary skills, well, anything is possible 😉
- Measure out some Angle’s hair (I know it’s misspelled). When you grip it with your hand, oh yeah, it should be about a nickel size in diameter, booo. That will be plenty for you and your date. You want to eat, not fill yourself silly. Do that with wine. Trust me on this.
- Again, Chiffonade the basil in front of someone. That will add some points somewhere down the line. Set that aside.
- Your water should almost be ready. Dump the pasta in for 5 min. Aim for “al dente“. Wow, this is so easy!
- Put your plates in the microwave for a minute. Take out and drizzle a little olive oil on the plates. Take 1 garlic clove and smash it into the oil on the hot plate. Most excellent!
- Take the pasta out and drain, but reserve a 1/8 cup of water for it’s starch-iness. Drizzle more EVO on the pasta as it drains.
- Get a non-stick pan on med-high. Drizzle a little EVO on it.
- Stir-fry the chili flakes, minced anchovy, tomatoes for 30 seconds.
- Add the garlic, a big lemon squeeze and starchy water for 1 min. Stir then Fox Trot, Cabbage Patch or Fouette. You might have had a glass of wine by now.
- Add the pasta. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Drizzle more EVO to finish.
- Plate!
Presentation
Turn the pasta into a swirl (with a fork) on the fresh garlic-oiled plate. Sprinkle some sweet basil on the top with 3-4 shavings of Pecorino.
Serve with a Farro, roasted pumpkin seed Watercress salad and a Balsamic vinaigrette reduction. Are you even kidding me?
If you think this recipe sucks or you have one better, by all means, let me know. If you want to stay anonymous, don’t put a FB comment, just put a regular comment in.
mmmmmmm….