I addes some fresh basil and grated Parmesan, but this roasted tomato recipe has plenty of flavor on its own.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
The ingredients for a roasted tomato dish that worked great on top of spaghetti as a main course, but could be served alone as a side dish, hot or cold. There’s no pasta in the photo because I rolled out a home made, whole wheat version.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
As Lent nears culmination with an Easter feast MT & I plan to host this Sunday, here’s one more meatless Friday option that proved easy and amazingly tasty. As a bonus, it works hot, cold or at room temperature, and can be a complementary side dish or an entreé as pasta topping.
I opted to make some homemade whole wheat spaghetti (1 cup all-purpose or semolina flour, ¾ cup whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 eggs, pulsed in food processor while adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until it forms a ball).
I also opted to top it with grated Parmesan and some extra basil leaves, but once you caramelize the tomatoes, this has more than enough flavor to stand on its own. MT pointed out the roasting made the tomatoes sweet and brought out more flavor, gave the meal two thumbs up, and took a second helping.
I opted for Roma tomatoes because they are easier to handle when slicing and seeding, and they stay firmer while roasting. I also, of course, tripled the garlic — and we agreed it could have used even more.
My only tip is to remove the tomatoes from the oven once they get that alluring brownish hue. It was one of the (many) nights that I’m not sure when MT will come home, and I opted to leave them in the turned-off oven. Alas, there was enough heat to start to dry them out a bit too much. Better to reheat them or just serve them at room temperature, I suspect.
And if using to top pasta, you may want to roast a few extra tomatoes. The roughly 2 pounds I bought barely made enough for four servings, and the dish was so good it left us yearning for more.
Dobru chut!
Roasted Fresh Tomato pasta (The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook)
2 pounds fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
½ cup loosely packed shredded fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oven to 425°.
Core tomatoes with a paring knife. If they are small or Romas, cut them in half; if they’re medium or large, cut into quarters. In either case, squeeze gently to remove seeds.
Place oil, garlic and basil in a glass or earthenware bowl. Add tomatoes and toss to coat. Place tomatoes skin side up in a glass, Pyrex or earthenware, oven-safe dish. Bake until the skin darkens, caramelizing to a deep glossy brown, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This can be served hot or cold as a side dish, or for topping crostini, risotto, gnocchi or pasta.
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