It's easy too long for spring and sun-kissed summer skin. It's much harder to endure the cold, dark days ahead of us. To keep our chins up this winter, I wanted. to share with you a special recipe that I learned to make in Gretari, Sicily. Dolores Taranto and I had the pleasure of eating a wonderful pasta made for us by a woman named Deborah – I’ve been making it ever since.

You'll see me use a lot of Bona Furtuna products in this video – that's because that's what I stock my pantry with. I came back from Sicily so hungry for Sicilian pasta and foods that I went on a deep-dive into the internet to find a company that could bring that quality and those flavors to my kitchen. You can check them out and give them a try for yourself right here. The products are of unbelievable quality. 

Here's the recipe we make in the video! This is one of my favorite pastas: spaghetti with sun dried tomato pesto and tomato confit. I've adapted it slightly in the video to accommodate for a) winter and b) a delicious jar of roasted red peppers I found in the pantry. But the principles remain the same and the dish is absolutely delightful. 

Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Tomato Confit

For the pesto

1/2 cup olive oil

6 sundried tomatoes

1/4 cup almonds

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

For the tomato confit

36 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Large pinch of sea salt

Large pinch of black pepper

6 servings pasta, linguine or spaghetti

Toasted almonds, chopped finely, for serving

Finely grated Parmesan, for serving

1. Combine all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until well combined (it can be as homogenous or as roughly chopped as you'd like). Set aside.
2. Combine the tomato confit ingredients in a small baking dish. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
3. Heat up a large pot of water to a boil. Add in 2 very large pinches of salt.
4. In a large frying pan, add in the tomato confit and half of the pesto. Heat it up over medium heat until the mixture begins to sizzle. Add in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
5. While the sauce is warming up, add the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Strain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
6. When the pasta is cooked, add it into the frying pan with the tomato sauce. Gently toss the mixture together, coating the noodles with the sauce. Add a cup of the pasta water into the sauce and allow the mixture to gentle cook for just a minute more. If desired, add a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce for a thicker sauce.
7. Serve the pasta, topped with a large pinch of toasted almonds and Parmesan cheese.

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