We made two pasta dishes in the farm kitchen this week using just a handful of ingredients. Both are simple, yet flavorful and the tomatoes really shine through. This version is vegetarian and if you skip the cheese sprinkle it’s completely vegan. Omnivores should really try this, and the bacon version they’re both great and pretty different from each other. Slow roasting the tomatoes concentrates their sweetness and flavor, it’s also a great way to preserve tomatoes. Roast a few pans and then freeze them for enjoying later. It’s always nice to have a reminder of summer tucked away for the long winter!
3 larger or 4 smaller tomatoes will be enough for one batch of pasta. Feel free to throw a few extra in the pan if you have them. While this recipe doesn’t require much work, it does require some extra planning. The tomatoes will cook for two hours, so if you have time to plan ahead roast the tomatoes in advance.
Drizzle the tomatoes with oil, salt, & pepper the flip them over to roast. The crushed cloves of garlic will smell amazing and if you want the pasta even more garlicky (we haven’t gotten to the garlic oil yet), add them to pasta and tomatoes at the end.
When the tomatoes come out of the oven transfer them to bowl and break into bite size pieces. If you don’t like the skins, slip them off. Dinner’s almost ready! Slice the rest of the garlic while the pasta is cooking. Gently fry it in olive oil, reserve the garlic AND the oil.
Slow Roasted Tomato & Garlic Pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
8-10 branches of fresh thyme
a few spring of fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 – 4 tomatoes, cut in half
12 oz fettucine or your favorite pasta shape
6 cloves garlic, cut into slices
1/3 cup olive oil
fresh grated parmesan (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the pan. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turn tomatoes cut side down in the pan, and place the garlic in the pan. Bake for two hours, or until the tomatoes are completely softened and wilted, and start to wrinkle. Depending on the size of the tomatoes, they may take longer to cook. Transfer tomatoes to a large bowl, and break into bite-size pieces.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a small saucepan until the oil is shimmering, but not smoking. Fry the garlic until golden, about a minute or two. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, reserve garlic and oil.
Drain pasta. Toss pasta with in bowl with tomatoes, garlic oil, and garlic slivers. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with grated parmesan or crumbled feta if desired.
