Ingredients:
For the Fresh Tomato Sauce
340 g (12 oz) dried short pasta
4 tbsp (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic - peeled and smashed, but left whole
600 g (1.3 lbs) tomatoes - cut into a small dice
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup rocket leaves (arugula) OR watercress / baby spinach
½ cup basil leaves - finely sliced
For whipped ricotta
250 g (8.8 oz) ricotta - full fat
½ tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
½ clove garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Preparations
Put a large pot of water on to boil. When it reaches boiling point, salt it generously. In a small saucepan, add the olive oil and garlic. Heat over low for 5 minutes, or until the garlic are a pale golden. Remove the garlic and discard; the flavour will have been extracted. Set the oil aside to cool. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes. Cook your pasta until just al dente. Drain and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. While
the pasta is cooking, prepare your whipped ricotta by adding all the
ingredients to a small food processor and blending until a smooth
consistency. Season to taste. Add the garlic oil and pasta to the tomatoes, along with the rocket and basil. Toss everything well. Check that the seasoning is to your liking and serve with a generous dollop of whipped ricotta.
Notes
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each listed tablespoon.
- Tomatoes: as the tomatoes are the star of the show, a lot depends on them. They must be at peak ripeness, sweet and full of flavour. Homegrown tomatoes are ideal or choose the best that you can find. The sauce will only be as good as the tomatoes.
- Lemon: for ease, be sure to remove the lemon zest before extracting the juice.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking - we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour.
- Make this gluten-free: simply use a good quality gluten-free pasta.
- Make-ahead: the sauce is best prepared shortly before serving but you can set it aside for about 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
- Serving: this pasta dish is served while still warm, the heat from the freshly cooked pasta releasing the flavour and aroma of the sweet tomatoes and fragrant basil. You can also serve it at room temperature. Chilling the sauce would dull the flavours.
No comments:
Post a Comment