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
- 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.
- Combine the tomato confit ingredients in a small baking dish. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
- Heat up a large pot of water to a boil. Add in 2 very large pinches of salt.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve the pasta, topped with a large pinch of toasted almonds and Parmesan cheese.
Marie-Louise Van Rhee
Love your recipes! Thank you!