Roasted tomato pasta with chilli and garlic recipe
Aglio is garlic in Italian, so aglione means ‘lots of garlic’, referring to the flavour of the dish. Traditionally this sauce is made from peeled plum tomatoes cooked with garlic cloves, served over thick strands of pici.
However, we like our version, which takes very little time to throw together; the tomatoes roast as you prepare the pasta and the combination is heavenly. You can serve the sauce with fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, or dried shell-shaped pasta is good as it collects the sauce.
Don’t be alarmed by the amount of olive oil. This will be the sauce when combined with the sweet juices from the tomatoes and the garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 kg cherry tomatoes, halved around the equator (not pole to pole)
- 7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves (skin on)
- 0.2 tsp dried chilli flakes or finely sliced fresh red chilli
- 320 g dried pasta
- 1 handful basil leaves, roughly torn if large
- 25 g grated Parmesan
- 2.2 lbs cherry tomatoes, halved around the equator (not pole to pole)
- 7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves (skin on)
- 0.2 tsp dried chilli flakes or finely sliced fresh red chilli
- 11.3 oz dried pasta
- 1 handful basil leaves, roughly torn if large
- 0.9 oz grated Parmesan
- 2.2 lbs cherry tomatoes, halved around the equator (not pole to pole)
- 7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves (skin on)
- 0.2 tsp dried chilli flakes or finely sliced fresh red chilli
- 11.3 oz dried pasta
- 1 handful basil leaves, roughly torn if large
- 0.9 oz grated Parmesan
Details
- Cuisine: Tuscan
- Recipe Type: Pasta
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F/Gas 3).
- Put the tomatoes cut side up in a roasting tray and pour over the oil. Put the garlic cloves between the tomatoes and any tomato stems, if you have them, as they will flavour the oil.
- Scatter with dried chilli (if using – add fresh chilli later on), season with salt and pepper, and roast for 15–20 minutes or until the tomatoes just start to collapse and brown.
- After 10 minutes stir the fresh chilli (if using fresh instead of dried) into the oil (fresh chilli might burn if put on top of the tomatoes at the beginning).
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta to coincide with the end of the cooking time for the tomatoes.
- When the tomatoes are cooked, remove the tray from the oven and use the flat of a wooden spoon to squeeze the soft garlic out of their skins.
- Mix this gently with the tomatoes and discard the garlic skins as well as the tomato stems. Pour the drained pasta into the hot tray.
- Add the basil leaves and use a pair of tongs to combine, then serve straight away in warmed bowls, scattered with Parmesan.
This recipe is from Tuscany by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi (Hardie Grant, £25). Photography: Helen Cathcart.
You might also like:
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature