Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Pasta ponza


As the garden begins to wane we are still able to enjoy a few things. The basil is still viable, there is some green out there that we need to pick even though we’re not 100% sure what it is. We may or may not get more eggplants. All in all, it’s been pretty much of a bumper crop of most things we planted. There are still potatoes under the ground that we have yet to start harvesting. This recipe is wonderfully savory. Peter made some tweaks in it. I’m not even sure what they are except for the addition of some mascarpone cheese that was left in the fridge.

I’m posting the full Monte, even though we made a half recipe last night. Even at that we’ll get two or more meals from it. Peter wanted me to get rotini pasta, but Safeway didn’t have any in the 50/50 whole grain selections from Barilla. Oddly enough, I bought exactly what Giada called for. Here goes:

Pasta Ponza (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
Butter for greasing
2 cups (12 ounces) red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups (12 ounces) yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 cup Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs
1 pound ziti or other short tube-shaped pasta
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 ounces) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
Place the tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the prepared baking dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 5 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the pasta. Add the cheese and toss well. Thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

4 comments:

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Sounds wonderful!! So its a total of 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, right? I have that many left from the garden so I'll have to make this!

Your bumper crops are amazing! I've got late season tomatoes, beets in the ground still, and enough cukes to make another jar of pickles. the squashes are all done for the year as are the beans. Now to plan next years garden!

Pam said...

That is my kind of pasta dish!

Pam said...

Sounds like you've had a very productive gardening season! This makes me miss vegetable gardening; way too much shade from all the big trees now for one. You have proved that Giada has great recipes! This sounds and looks savory delicious.

Unknown said...

If you haven't guessed, I am a HUGE pasta fan! This dish sounds and looks wonderful...and did I read that right...Peter added Marscarpone in there?? YUM!!

Blog Archive

Tuesday Tag-Along

Tuesday Tag-Along

Foodie BlogRoll

Followers